A total of 15 clubs from the COSAFA region remain in contention in African club competition this year, with all hoping to make the next step in their journey when the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup resume in March.
With a number of teams aired with fellow Southern African sides in the next round of the draw, we are at least ensured of five teams to advance, including two to the pool stages of the Champions League.
Zambia’s Zanaco will take on Mbabane Swallows from Swaziland in the second round of the elite club competition, ensuring one of those teams will be in the pool stages.
The same goes for Primeiro de Agosto (Angola) against Bidvest Wits (South Africa), where one will feature in the group play.
Township Rollers from Botswana are fresh from their stunning victory over Sudanese giants Al-Mereikh in the previous round and might fancy their chances against Young Africans from Tanzania.
Zambian champions Zesco United have a tougher opponent in Ivory Coast side ASEC Mimosas, while UD Songo from Mozambique must take on DR Congo side TP Mazembe.
Finally for the Champion League, 2016 winners Mamelodi Sundowns face a tricky test against Rayon Sports from Rwanda.
The teams who do not make it past this round drop into the Confederation Cup, where they will feature in the play-offs to see who makes the group stages of that competition.
There will definitely be three COSAFA sides in the next stage of that tournament as Petro de Luanda (Angola) clash with SuperSport United (South Africa) in another battle between teams from those two countries, while Costa do Sol (Mozambique) take on newboys Cape Town City (South Africa).
AS Port-Louis 2000 (Mauritius) and Fosa Juniors (Madagascar) might both fancy advancing in what looks like an evenly contested tie.
And Nkana FC from Zambia will have their work cut-out when they take on Algerian club CR Belouizdad.
The first legs of the ties are set for March 6-7, with the returns to be played March 16-18.
COSAFA CLUBS IN CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Zanaco (Zambia) vs Mbabane Swallows (Swaziland)
Young Africans (Tanzania) vs Township Rollers (Botswana)
ZESCO United (Zambia) vs ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast)
TP Mazembe (DR Congo) vs UD Songo (Mozambique)
Primeiro de Agosto (Angola) vs Bidvest Wits (South Africa)
Rayon Sports (Rwanda) vs Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
COSAFA CLUBS IN CAF CONFEDERATION CUP
Petro de Luanda (Angola) vs SuperSport United (South Africa)
Costa do Sol (Mozambique) vs Cape Town City (South Africa)
AS Port-Louis 2000 (Mauritius) vs Fosa Juniors (Madagascar)
CR Belouizdad (Algeria) vs Nkana FC (Zambia)
