African Stars to host Orlando Pirates in second preliminary round of CAF Champions League

African Stars will host Orlando Pirates on 17 October 2026 at 16:00 Damascus time, in a match to be played as part of the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League for the 2026 season.

The beIN SPORTS network will broadcast the match to fans following the continental tournament.

Regarding African Stars' current form, their recent results have shown clear fluctuation, having lost four of their last five matches, the most recent of which was a 1-3 defeat away to Mangasport on 5 September 2026, compared with a single win over them by 2-0 on 12 September 2026. The team also suffered two consecutive losses to Vipers by 0-1 both home and away, in addition to an earlier defeat to Galaxy by 0-1.

Orlando Pirates, meanwhile, go into the match on the back of better results, having won three of their last five matches, drawn one, and lost one. Their most recent match was a 3-1 win over La Cueur Waves on 12 September 2026, following a goalless 0-0 draw in the previous match. The team also secured a big 4-0 win over Lioli, and another 3-0 win over Saint-Eloi Lupopo at home, compared with a 0-3 defeat to the same team away from home.