Plateau Utd gets Eding Sport, MFM draws Real Bamako

• Enyimba, Akwa United also get opponents
Nigerian champion, Plateau United will meet Cameroun’s Eding Sport in the first round of the CAF Champions League, according to the draws held yesterday. Its compatriots, MFM FC, which came second in the 2016/2017 Nigerian League, will battle with Mali’s Real Bamako also in the first round of the competition.

The 2018 CAF Champions League will kick off in February and end in November.

According to the draws, Plateau United will face Etoile Du Sahel of Tunisia in the second round if it scaled through the first round, while MFM will meet the winner in the first round tie between AS Otoho of Congo and Mouloudia Alger of Algeria.

Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel, which won the title in 2007, was given a bye from the first round, the same with title holder, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, which will begin its defence in the second round against the winner of the tie between Stade Malien and Williamsville AC of Cote d’Ivoire.

In the Confederation Cup, two-time Champions League winner, Enyimba of Aba was drawn bye into the second round and will meet the first round winner between the representative of Benin Republic and Hafia FC of Guinea.

But Nigeria’s other representative, Akwa United has a first round battle with Hawks of The Gambia. If the AITEO Cup holders scale through, it will face the winner between Al Ittihad  of Libya and Sahel of Niger Republic in the second round.

The Confederation Cup champion, TP Mazembe of Congo DR will campaign in the 2018 CAF Champions League.
Meanwhile, CAF has revealed a change in the calendar of its competitions, with the next Champions League competition slated to begin in December 2018 and run through to May 2019.

After the 2019 final, the competition will be held from August or September through to May of the next year.

The next Confederation Cup campaign will also begin in December 2018 and run through to May 2019.