Being a top seed did not spare USFAS Bamako from the champions. At the Cairo draw on 20 October, the Malian side landed in Group B of the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League with holders AS FAR of Morocco and Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies.
The fourth team will be the WAFU Zone B qualifier, whose identity CAF had not confirmed in its 20 October draw report. That could set up an all-West African meeting inside the group.
Why the seeding didn’t help
USFAS, who qualified through WAFU Zone A, were in the top pot with Mamelodi Sundowns, based on results over the last three editions. That kept them apart from Sundowns, but AS FAR and hosts FC Masar had fixed slots in separate groups, so meeting one of them was guaranteed.
AS FAR open their title defence against Kawempe on 2 November. The top two in the group reach the semi-finals on 11 November, with the final in Egypt on 15 November.
For USFAS, the draw is a chance to measure themselves against the best side on the continent, and to show Malian women’s football belongs at this level.
Related reporting: Egypt to host the Women’s Champions League again, with a new trophy on the line.
