# 2018 CAF Confederation Cup qualifying rounds

In international football, the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup qualifying rounds were played from 9 February to 18 April 2018. A total of 70 teams competed in the qualifying rounds to decide the 16 places in the group stage of the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup.

## Draw

The draw for the preliminary round and first round was held on 13 December 2017 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
The entry round of the 54 teams entered into the draw is determined by their performances in the CAF competitions for the previous five seasons (CAF 5-year ranking points shown in parentheses).
| Entry round | First round (10 teams) | Preliminary round (44 teams) |
| Teams | Zamalek (43 pts) USM Alger (35 pts) SuperSport United (20 pts) Club Africain (15 pts) Al-Hilal Al-Ubayyid (10 pts) Enyimba (8 pts) Nkana (2 pts) DC Motema Pembe Raja Casablanca Al-Ahly Shendi | Al-Masry US Ben Guerdane AS Maniema Union CR Belouizdad Cape Town City RS Berkane AS Tanda Africa Sports Green Buffaloes CARA Brazzaville CS La Mancha Djoliba Onze Créateurs Akwa United New Star Al-Ittihad Tripoli Asante Kotoko Simba Petro de Luanda Welayta Dicha Energie Jwaneng Galaxy Étoile Filante Olympique Star Ngazi Sport Gendarmerie Nationale Deportivo Niefang AS Mangasport Banjul Hawks Hafia AFC Leopards ELWA United Fosa Juniors Masters Security FC Nouadhibou AS Port-Louis 2000 Costa do Sol Sahel APR Mbour Petite-Côte Anse Réunion Al-Hilal Juba Young Buffaloes Zimamoto |

## Format

In the qualifying rounds, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, extra time would not be played, and the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 13 & 14).

## Schedule

The schedule of each round was as follows (matches scheduled in midweek in italics).
| Round | First leg | Second leg |
| Preliminary round | 9–11 February 2018 | 20–21 February 2018 |
| First round | 6–7 March 2018 | 16–18 March 2018 |
| Play-off round | 6–8 April 2018 | 17–18 April 2018 |

## Bracket

The bracket of the draw was announced by the CAF on 13 December 2017.
The 16 winners of the first round advanced to the play-off round, where they were joined by the 16 losers of the Champions League first round.
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Petro de Luanda | 5 | 0 | 5 | | | | | |
| 4 | Masters Security | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | |
| 4 | Masters Security | 0 | 0 | 0 | Petro de Luanda | Petro de Luanda | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| | | | | | SuperSport United | SuperSport United | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | SuperSport United | | | Bye | SuperSport United | SuperSport United | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Costa do Sol | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 4 | Jwaneng Galaxy | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | |
| 4 | Jwaneng Galaxy | 0 | 0 | 0 | Costa do Sol | Costa do Sol | 0 | 2 | 2 (a) |
| | | | | | Cape Town City | Cape Town City | 1 | 1 | 2 (a) |
| 3 | Young Buffaloes | 0 | 0 | 0 | Cape Town City | Cape Town City | 1 | 1 | 2 (a) |
| 2 | Cape Town City | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Energie | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 4 | Hafia | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| 4 | Hafia | 0 | 1 | 1 | Energie | Energie | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| | | | | | Enyimba | Enyimba | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 3 | Enyimba | | | Bye | Enyimba | Enyimba | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Djoliba | — | — | w/o | | | | | |
| 4 | ELWA United | — | — | | | | | | |
| 4 | ELWA United | — | — | | Djoliba | Djoliba | 1 | 1 | 2 (a) |
| | | | | | APR | APR | 0 | 2 | 2 (a) |
| 3 | APR | 4 | 2 | 6 | APR | APR | 0 | 2 | 2 (a) |
| 2 | Anse Réunion | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Ngazi Sport | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 4 | AS Port-Louis 2000 | 1 | 4 | 5 | | | | | |
| 4 | AS Port-Louis 2000 | 1 | 4 | 5 | AS Port-Louis 2000 | AS Port-Louis 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | | | | | Fosa Juniors | Fosa Juniors | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | AFC Leopards | 1 | 0 | 1 (a) | Fosa Juniors | Fosa Juniors | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Fosa Juniors | 1 | 0 | 1 (a) | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | AS Mangasport | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| 4 | AS Maniema Union | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 4 | AS Maniema Union | 1 | 1 | 2 | AS Maniema Union | AS Maniema Union | 2 | 1 | 3 (a) |
| | | | | | USM Alger | USM Alger | 2 | 1 | 3 (a) |
| 3 | USM Alger | | | Bye | USM Alger | USM Alger | 2 | 1 | 3 (a) |
| 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Olympique Star | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| 4 | Étoile Filante | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | |
| 4 | Étoile Filante | 0 | 0 | 0 | Olympique Star | Olympique Star | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | | | | | Al-Hilal Al-Ubayyid | Al-Hilal Al-Ubayyid | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| 3 | Al-Hilal Al-Ubayyid | | | Bye | Al-Hilal Al-Ubayyid | Al-Hilal Al-Ubayyid | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | DC Motema Pembe | | | Bye | | | | | |
| 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | | | | | DC Motema Pembe | DC Motema Pembe | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | | | Deportivo Niefang | Deportivo Niefang | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | New Star | 2 | 0 | 2 (a) | Deportivo Niefang | Deportivo Niefang | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Deportivo Niefang | 1 | 1 | 2 (a) | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | AS Tanda | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | |
| 4 | CS La Mancha | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| 4 | CS La Mancha | 0 | 1 | 1 | CS La Mancha | CS La Mancha | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| | | | | | Al-Ahly Shendi | Al-Ahly Shendi | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Al-Ahly Shendi | | | Bye | Al-Ahly Shendi | Al-Ahly Shendi | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Al-Ittihad Tripoli | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | | | |
| 4 | Sahel | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | |
| 4 | Sahel | 0 | 0 | 0 | Al-Ittihad Tripoli | Al-Ittihad Tripoli | 1 | 0 | 1 (2 p) |
| | | | | | Akwa United | Akwa United | 0 | 1 | 1 (3 p) |
| 3 | Akwa United | 1 | 2 | 3 | Akwa United | Akwa United | 0 | 1 | 1 (3 p) |
| 2 | Banjul Hawks | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Asante Kotoko | 1 | 0 | 1 (6 p) | | | | | |
| 4 | CARA Brazzaville | 0 | 1 | 1 (7 p) | | | | | |
| 4 | CARA Brazzaville | 0 | 1 | 1 (7 p) | CARA Brazzaville | CARA Brazzaville | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| | | | | | US Ben Guerdane | US Ben Guerdane | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | US Ben Guerdane | — | — | w/o | US Ben Guerdane | US Ben Guerdane | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | Al-Hilal Juba | — | — | | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Onze Créateurs | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| 4 | CR Belouizdad | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | |
| 4 | CR Belouizdad | 1 | 2 | 3 | CR Belouizdad | CR Belouizdad | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| | | | | | Nkana | Nkana | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Nkana | | | Bye | Nkana | Nkana | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Simba | 4 | 1 | 5 | | | | | |
| 4 | Gendarmerie Nationale | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | |
| 4 | Gendarmerie Nationale | 0 | 0 | 0 | Simba | Simba | 2 | 0 | 2 (a) |
| | | | | | Al-Masry | Al-Masry | 2 | 0 | 2 (a) |
| 3 | Al-Masry | 4 | 1 | 5 | Al-Masry | Al-Masry | 2 | 0 | 2 (a) |
| 2 | Green Buffaloes | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | RS Berkane | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | |
| 4 | Mbour Petite-Côte | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 4 | Mbour Petite-Côte | 1 | 1 | 2 | RS Berkane | RS Berkane | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| | | | | | Club Africain | Club Africain | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Club Africain | | | Bye | Club Africain | Club Africain | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Raja Casablanca | | | Bye | | | | | |
| 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | | | | | Raja Casablanca | Raja Casablanca | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| | | | | | FC Nouadhibou | FC Nouadhibou | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Africa Sports | 1 | 0 | 1 | FC Nouadhibou | FC Nouadhibou | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | FC Nouadhibou | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | Preliminary round | First round | First round | First round | First round | First round |
| 1 | Zimamoto | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| 4 | Welayta Dicha | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 4 | Welayta Dicha | 1 | 1 | 2 | Welayta Dicha | Welayta Dicha | 2 | 1 | 3 (4 p) |
| | | | | | Zamalek | Zamalek | 1 | 2 | 3 (3 p) |
| 3 | Zamalek | | | Bye | Zamalek | Zamalek | 1 | 2 | 3 (3 p) |
| 2 | | | | | | | | | |

## Preliminary round

The preliminary round included the 44 teams that did not receive byes to the first round.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Petro de Luanda | 5–0 | Masters Security | 5–0 | 0–0 |
| Young Buffaloes | 0–2 | Cape Town City | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Costa do Sol | 2–0 | Jwaneng Galaxy | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Energie | 2–1 | Hafia | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| APR | 6–1 | Anse Réunion | 4–0 | 2–1 |
| Djoliba | w/o | ELWA United | — | — |
| AFC Leopards | 1–1 (a) | Fosa Juniors | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Ngazi Sport | 2–5 | AS Port-Louis 2000 | 1–1 | 1–4 |
| AS Mangasport | 1–2 | AS Maniema Union | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Olympique Star | 1–0 | Étoile Filante | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| New Star | 2–2 (a) | Deportivo Niefang | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| AS Tanda | 0–1 | CS La Mancha | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Akwa United | 3–2 | Banjul Hawks | 1–2 | 2–0 |
| Al-Ittihad Tripoli | 4–0 | Sahel | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| US Ben Guerdane | w/o | Al-Hilal Juba | — | — |
| Asante Kotoko | 1–1 (6–7 p) | CARA Brazzaville | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Onze Créateurs | 1–3 | CR Belouizdad | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Al-Masry | 5–2 | Green Buffaloes | 4–0 | 1–2 |
| Simba | 5–0 | Gendarmerie Nationale | 4–0 | 1–0 |
| RS Berkane | 3–2 | Mbour Petite-Côte | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Africa Sports | 1–2 | FC Nouadhibou | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Zimamoto | 1–2 | Welayta Dicha | 1–1 | 0–1 |
Notes:
* ↑ Djoliba won on walkover after ELWA United withdrew.
* ↑ US Ben Guerdane won on walkover after Al-Hilal Juba failed to arrive for the first leg.
Petro de Luanda won 5–0 on aggregate.
Cape Town City won 2–0 on aggregate.
Costa do Sol won 2–0 on aggregate.
Energie won 2–1 on aggregate.
APR won 6–1 on aggregate.
Djoliba won on walkover after ELWA United withdrew.
1–1 on aggregate. Fosa Juniors won on away goals.
AS Port-Louis 2000 won 5–2 on aggregate.
AS Maniema Union won 2–1 on aggregate.
Olympique Star won 1–0 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate. Deportivo Niefang won on away goals.
CS La Mancha won 1–0 on aggregate.
Akwa United won 3–2 on aggregate.
Al-Ittihad Tripoli won 4–0 on aggregate.
US Ben Guerdane won on walkover after Al-Hilal Juba failed to arrive for the first leg.
1–1 on aggregate. CARA Brazzaville won 7–6 on penalties.
CR Belouizdad won 3–1 on aggregate.
Al-Masry won 5–2 on aggregate.
Simba won 5–0 on aggregate.
RS Berkane won 3–2 on aggregate.
FC Nouadhibou won 2–1 on aggregate.
Welayta Dicha won 2–1 on aggregate.

## First round

The first round included 32 teams: the 22 winners of the preliminary round, and the 10 teams that received byes to this round.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Petro de Luanda | 1–2 | SuperSport United | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Costa do Sol | 2–2 (a) | Cape Town City | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Energie | 2–5 | Enyimba | 0–2 | 2–3 |
| Djoliba | 2–2 (a) | APR | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| AS Port-Louis 2000 | 0–3 | Fosa Juniors | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| AS Maniema Union | 3–3 (a) | USM Alger | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Olympique Star | 0–6 | Al-Hilal Al-Ubayyid | 0–0 | 0–6 |
| DC Motema Pembe | 1–2 | Deportivo Niefang | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| CS La Mancha | 4–2 | Al-Ahly Shendi | 3–0 | 1–2 |
| Al-Ittihad Tripoli | 1–1 (2–3 p) | Akwa United | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| CARA Brazzaville | 4–3 | US Ben Guerdane | 3–0 | 1–3 |
| CR Belouizdad | 3–1 | Nkana | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Simba | 2–2 (a) | Al-Masry | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| RS Berkane | 4–1 | Club Africain | 3–1 | 1–0 |
| Raja Casablanca | 5–3 | FC Nouadhibou | 1–1 | 4–2 |
| Welayta Dicha | 3–3 (4–3 p) | Zamalek | 2–1 | 1–2 |
SuperSport United won 2–1 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate. Costa do Sol won on away goals.
Enyimba won 5–2 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate. Djoliba won on away goals.
Fosa Juniors won 3–0 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate. USM Alger won on away goals.
Al-Hilal Al-Ubayyid won 6–0 on aggregate.
Deportivo Niefang won 2–1 on aggregate.
CS La Mancha won 4–2 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate. Akwa United won 3–2 on penalties.
CARA Brazzaville won 4–3 on aggregate.
CR Belouizdad won 3–1 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate. Al-Masry won on away goals.
RS Berkane won 4–1 on aggregate.
Raja Casablanca won 5–3 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate. Welayta Dicha won 4–3 on penalties.

## Play-off round

The play-off round included 32 teams: the 16 winners of the Confederation Cup first round and the 16 losers of the Champions League first round.
The draw for the play-off round was held on 21 March 2018, 19:00 EET (UTC+2), at the Ritz Carlton in Cairo, Egypt. The winners of the Confederation Cup first round were drawn against the losers of the Champions League first round, with the teams from the Confederation Cup hosting the second leg.
The 32 teams were seeded by their performances in the CAF competitions for the previous five seasons (CAF 5-year ranking points shown in parentheses):
* Pot A contained the four highest-ranked losers of the Champions League first round.
* Pot B contained the four highest-ranked winners of the Confederation Cup first round.
* Pot C contained the twelve lowest-ranked losers of the Champions League first round.
* Pot D contained the twelve lowest-ranked winners of the Confederation Cup first round.
First, a team from Pot A and a team from Pot D were drawn into four ties. Next, a team from Pot B and a team from Pot C were drawn into four ties. Finally, the remaining teams from Pot C and Pot D were drawn into the last eight ties.
| Pot | Pot A | Pot B | Pot C | Pot D |
| Qualified from | Champions League | Confederation Cup | Champions League | Confederation Cup |
| Teams | Al-Hilal (21 pts) AS Vita Club (15 pts) Saint George (10.5 pts) Zanaco (10 pts) | USM Alger (35 pts) SuperSport United (20 pts) Al-Hilal Al-Ubayyid (10 pts) Enyimba (8 pts) | ASEC Mimosas (5 pts) CF Mounana (2.5 pts) Young Africans (2 pts) Williamsville AC Aduana Stars Gor Mahia UD Songo MFM Plateau United Rayon Sports Génération Foot Bidvest Wits | CR Belouizdad CARA Brazzaville CS La Mancha Al-Masry Deportivo Niefang Welayta Dicha Fosa Juniors Djoliba Raja Casablanca RS Berkane Costa do Sol Akwa United |
The 16 winners of the play-off round advanced to the group stage.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Zanaco | 0–5 | Raja Casablanca | 0–2 | 0–3 |
| AS Vita Club | 6–1 | CS La Mancha | 1–0 | 5–1 |
| Saint George | 1–1 (3–4 p) | CARA Brazzaville | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Al-Hilal | 3–3 (a) | Akwa United | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Gor Mahia | 2–2 (a) | SuperSport United | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| UD Songo | 4–3 | Al-Hilal Al-Ubayyid | 3–1 | 1–2 |
| Plateau United | 2–5 | USM Alger | 2–1 | 0–4 |
| Bidvest Wits | 1–1 (a) | Enyimba | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Aduana Stars | 7–3 | Fosa Juniors | 6–1 | 1–2 |
| Young Africans | 2–1 | Welayta Dicha | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Génération Foot | 3–3 (a) | RS Berkane | 3–1 | 0–2 |
| CF Mounana | 2–3 | Al-Masry | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| ASEC Mimosas | 1–0 | CR Belouizdad | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Williamsville AC | 3–2 | Deportivo Niefang | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| MFM | 0–1 | Djoliba | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Rayon Sports | 3–2 | Costa do Sol | 3–0 | 0–2 |
Raja Casablanca won 5–0 on aggregate.
AS Vita Club won 6–1 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate. CARA Brazzaville won 4–3 on penalties.
3–3 on aggregate. Al-Hilal won on away goals.
2–2 on aggregate. Gor Mahia won on away goals.
UD Songo won 4–3 on aggregate.
USM Alger won 5–2 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate. Enyimba won on away goals.
Aduana Stars won 7–3 on aggregate.
Young Africans won 2–1 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate. RS Berkane won on away goals.
Al-Masry won 3–2 on aggregate.
ASEC Mimosas won 1–0 on aggregate.
Williamsville AC won 3–2 on aggregate.
Djoliba won 1–0 on aggregate.
Rayon Sports won 3–2 on aggregate.