The 2021–22 CAF Champions League qualifying rounds were played from 10 September to 24 October 2021.[1] A total of 54 teams competed in the qualifying rounds to decide the 16 places in the group stage of the 2021–22 CAF Champions League.[2]
Times are in local times.
Draw
The draw for the qualifying rounds was held on 13 August 2021 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.[3][4][5]
The entry round of the 54 teams entered into the draw was determined by their performances in the CAF competitions for the previous five seasons (CAF 5-year ranking points shown in parentheses).
In the qualifying rounds, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score is tied after the second leg, the away goals rule was applied, and if still tied, extra time won't be played, and the penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 13 & 14).[2]
Schedule
The schedule of the competition was as follows.
Round
First leg
Second leg
First round
10–12 September 2021
17–19 September 2021
Second round
15–17 October 2021
22–24 October 2021
Bracket
The bracket of the draw was announced by the CAF on 13 August 2021.
^The match involving Guinean clubs were played over a single leg, and not in the Guinean territory due to the political and security situation in Guinea following the 2021 Guinean coup d'état.[6]
The second round, also called the second preliminary round, included 32 teams: the 10 teams that received byes to this round, and the 22 winners of the first round.
^The preliminary round match between CI Kamsar and Hearts of Oak was played over a single leg, and not in the Guinean territory due to the political and security situation in Guinea following the 2021 Guinean coup d'état.[6]
^Teams from Burkina Faso played their home matches outside the country, since none of the stadiums met the quality standards set according to the CAF regulations.[7]
^Teams from Somalia played their home matches outside the country, since none of the stadiums met the quality standards set according to the CAF regulations.[8]
^Teams from the Central African Republic played their home matches outside the country, since none of the stadiums met the quality standards set according to the CAF regulations.[8]
References
^"CAF releases 2021/22 season Interclub information and dates". CAF. 22 June 2021.
^ ab"CAF Champions League regulations" (PDF). CAF. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
^"Road to TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Group Stage mapped out". CAF. 13 August 2021.
^"CL Fixtures (1) - First Round of Preliminaries" (PDF). CAF. 13 August 2021.
^"CL Fixtures (2) - 2nd Round of Preliminaries" (PDF). CAF. 13 August 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-08-13.
^ ab"Statement on CAF interclubs preliminary fixtures: Guinea Clubs". CAF Online. CAF. 8 September 2021.
^Tchanhoun, Patrick (28 August 2021). "L'AS Sonabel accueillera le Stade Malien au Cameroun". africafootunited.com (in French). Retrieved 26 September 2021.
^ ab"Mali among eight African nations barred from hosting World Cup ties". Sportstar. 14 August 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.