PREVIEW: GHANA’S ASANTE KOTOKO TAKES ON NIGERIA’S KWARA UNITED IN 2025-26 CAF CONFEDERATION CUP OPENER

By: Isaac Amponsah (Dr Ike) and Aaron Kintoh 

Predictions:
Home win
Correct score: Asante Kotoko 2-0 Kwara United 

Ghana's sole representative in the CAF Confederation Cup, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, is set for a crucial match against Nigerian side Kwara United in the first preliminary round of the competition. 

The match will take place at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, September 21, 2025.

Kumasi Asante Kotoko booked their ticket to represent Ghana in the CAF Confederation Cup after winning the 2024-25 MTN FA Cup against Golden Kicks in the grand final with a 2:1 margin. 

The Porcupines have been in good form, executing a perfect league away performance by beating Berekum Chelsea 1-0 in the Ghana Premier League last Saturday. 

Coach Zito's men arrived in Accra on the same day, giving them an advantage with more rest than their opponents.

Coach Abdul Karim Zito guided his former club, Dreams FC, to the group stages of the 2023-24 CAF Confederation Cup, where they lost the semi-final tie to Zamalek on a 3-0 aggregate.

Kwara United, on the other hand, held to a goalless draw against Wolves Warri in the Nigeria Super League on Sunday, September 14, 2025. Coach Sanni's team arrived in Accra on Friday at the Kotoka International Airport. 

Kwara United won their first-ever title after defeating Abakaliki FC in the Federation Cup on June 28, 2025, to book their ticket to participate in the 2025/26 CAF Confederation competition.

Match Details:
- Teams:Kumasi Asante Kotoko (Ghana) vs Kwara United (Nigeria)
- Competition:CAF Confederation Cup (First Preliminary Round)
- Date:Sunday, September 21, 2025
- Venue:Accra Sports Stadium
- Referee:Patrick Tanguy Jean Philippe VLEI (Ivory Coast)
- Assistant Referees:Nouho Ouattara and Lancine Kone (both from Ivory Coast)
- Fourth Official:Ibrahim Kalilou Traore (Ivory Coast)
- Return Leg:September 26-28, 2025, in Nigeria

The winner of this two-legged tie will face Moroccan giants Wydad Athletic Club in the next round. The CAF Confederation Cup features a group stage with 16 teams divided into four groups of four, playing in a round-robin format. The top two teams in each group will progress to the quarterfinals .

CAF Confederation Cup Structure:
1. First Preliminary Round:64 teams compete home and away, with aggregate winners advancing.
2. Second Preliminary Round:32 winners progress to face higher-ranked clubs entering at this stage.
3. Group Stage:16 teams divided into four groups of four, playing in a round-robin format (home and away). Top two teams in each group progress to the quarterfinals.

CAF schedules matches over a three-day weekend window, with home-and-away ties determined by the draw. Away goals apply if aggregate scores are level, followed by a penalty shootout if necessary. Extra time is not played in the preliminary rounds.

• Accra Real Republicans were the first Ghanaian club to compete in the maiden edition of the African Cup of Champions Clubs. They joined the competition in the final tournament at the semi-finals, where they lost their first game.
31st January, 1965 (Semi-Finals) 
Venue: Accra Stadium
Attendance: 50,000
Real Republicans          1-2 Oryx Douala
Tawiah 2'//Walter Ebelle 63', Epete 75'

• Accra Real Republicans are the First Ghanaian club to win a game in the CAF Inter-club competition, that was February 5, 1965 against Cotton Factory Club in a Bronze medal match in the 1964-65 edition at the Accra Stadium. 
5th February, 1965 (Bronze medal match)
Venue: Accra Stadium
Real Republicans          3-1 Cotton Factory Club
Pare 57', Gbadamosi 65', Odametey 79' (pen)//Abdelle 50'

• Later in 1997, CAF changed the name of the competition from the African Cup of Champions Clubs to the CAF Champions League, in line with UEFA's own Champions League.

- Ebusua Dwarfs were the first Ghanaian club to play against a Nigerian opponent when they met in the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1968, which was the 4th edition of the competition since its inception in 1964.

- Ebusua Dwarfs from Ghana joined the 1968 edition at the first round of the competition in a home and away tie against Stationery Stores from Nigeria: Stationery Stores won 3-2 in the 1st leg, while Ebusua Dwarfs won 2-1 in the 2nd leg.

- NB: Stationery Stores from Nigeria progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition after winning a draw of lots against Ebusua Dwarfs.

• The African Cup Winners' Cup was a football competition that started in 1975 and merged with the CAF Cup in 2004 to form the CAF Confederation Cup. It was a competition between the winning clubs of domestic cups in CAF-affiliated nations and was modelled after the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

• The 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup, officially known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, will be the 23rd edition of the tournament and the 51st overall season of Africa's secondary club football competition organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Head-to-Head since 1968.
Ghanaian Clubs vs Nigerian Clubs 
Total matches played      - 41
Ghanaian Clubs wins       - 19
Nigerian Clubs wins         - 17
Drawn games                    - 5

• The above head-to-head record includes the WAFU Inter-Club Championship, CAF Confederation Cup, and CAF Champions League.

• Ghanaian clubs against Nigerian clubs: head-to-head record in the knock-out stage, including the WAFU Championship and Super Cup final.

Total matches played      - 10
Ghanaian wins                   - 6
Nigerian wins                     - 4

Note: No club from Nigeria has eliminated Asante Kotoko from any African inter-club competition since 1970 (WAFU Cup, CAF Confederation Cup, and CAF Champions League).

• The only club from Nigeria to have won on Ghanaian soil is Enyimba International FC, in the 2006 CAF Champions League (Group stage).

Venue: Obuasi Len Clay.
Hearts Of Oak               0-2 Enyimba FC
Ekene Emigo
Joseph Amadi
Note: Dan Quaye missed a penalty.

* Asante Kotoko Head-to-Head against Nigerian opponents.
Total matches Played      - 10
Asante Kotoko wins         - 5
Nigerian clubs wins          - 4
Drawn game                       - 1

* 1970 African Cup of Champions Clubs/CAF Champions League (2nd Round) [1st Leg]
Venue: Liberty Stadium, Ibadan
 Stationery Stores        3-2 Asante Kotoko

• Monday, June 29, 1970 (1970 African Cup of Champions Clubs/CAF Champions League) [2nd leg]
Venue: Kumasi Sports Stadium 
Asante Kotoko              1-0 Stationery Stores
Ibrahim Sunday

NB: Asante Kotoko were leading 1-0 in the second half of extra time, and Kotoko were awarded a penalty. However, Stationery Stores refused to allow the penalty to be taken, and the match was abandoned. CAF subsequently ruled that Asante Kotoko should be considered the winners of the tie.

• August 8, 2004 (2004 CAF Confederation Cup) [Group stage, 1st leg] {Group A}
Venue: Baba Yara Sports Stadium 
Asante Kotoko              3-1 Enugu Rangers
Stephen Oduro, William Tierro, Michael Osei

• October 30, 2004 (2004 CAF Confederation Cup) [Group stage, 2nd leg] {Group A}
Enugu Rangers             2-1 Asante Kotoko
Igho Oteghari 20', Ugochukwu Okeke 21'//Charles Taylor 70'

• March 22, 2008 (2008 CAF Confederations Cup) [First round] {1st leg}
Wikki Torrists                2-2 Asante Kotoko
Rabiu Baita, Abubakar Babale// Daniel Nii Adjei, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour

• April 6, 2008 (2008 CAF Confederation Cup) [First round] {2nd leg}
Asante Kotoko              4-1 Wikki Torrists
Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, Eric Bekoe (Brace), Francis Coffie

• April 27, 2008 (2008 CAF Confederation Cup) [Second round]
Dolphins FC                   2-0 Asante Kotoko
Owazuoke Wobo, Prince Nnake

• May 11, 2008 (2008 CAF Confederation Cup) [2nd leg]
{Rain-off}
Venue: Baba Yara Sports Stadium 
Asante Kotoko              1-0 Dolphins FC
Jordan Opoku 
NB: The match was abandoned at halftime with Asante Kotoko winning 1-0 due to a storm that flooded the pitch. The match was replayed the next day."

• May 12, 2008 (Replay)
Venue: Baba Yara Sports Stadium 
Asante Kotoko              4-1 Dolphins FC
Samuel Inkoom, Eric Bekoe(Brace), Kwabena Yaro//Prince Anokye (OG)

• Saturday, August 10, 2019 (2019-20 CAF Champions League) [Preliminary round] {1st leg}
Venue: Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano
Kano Pillars                   3-2 Asante Kotoko
Rahaqqu Adam 12', Mohamed Ali Rabiu 70', Mohamed Gambo 75'//Justice Blay 52', Godfred Asiamah 86'

• August 25, 2019 (2019-20 CAF Champions League) [Preliminary round] {2nd leg}
Venue: Baba Yara Sports Stadium 
Asante kotoko              2-0 Kano Pillars 
Kelvin Andoh 12', Emmanuel Gyamfi 81'

• The last time a Ghanaian club played against a Nigerian opponent at the knock-out stage was the 2023-24 CAF Champions League at the First round.
August 20, 2023 (1st leg)
Medeama SC 1-0 Remo Stars 
August 27, 2023 (2nd leg)
Remo Stars 1-0 Medeama SC 

NB: Medeama SC advanced to the next stage of the competition on 3-2 penalties.

• The most recent Ghanaian club to play against a Nigerian opponent was Dreams FC, who faced Rivers United in the Group C home and away matches in the 2023-24 CAF Confederation Cup.
• December 3, 2023 
Dreams FC 2-1 Rivers United 
• March 3, 2024
Rivers United 2-1 Dreams FC

- Asante Kotoko Sporting Club, simply known as Asante Kotoko, is a professional football club founded on August 31, 1935, and based in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Nicknamed the Porcupine Warriors, and "Kum apem a apem beba" in their local dialect. They compete in the Ghana Premier League and play their home matches at the Baba Yara Stadium in Amakom, Kumasi.

Performance in CAF competitions:
1. CAF Champions League (formerly African Cup of Champions Clubs): 26 appearances
[1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019-20]
2. CAF Confederation Cup (formerly CAF Cup Winners' Cup): 13 appearances
[1979, 1985, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2019, 2020]

Honours:
1. Champion (1970, 1983) - CAF Champions League formerly African Cup of Champions Clubs.

2. Finalist 
- 2002 CAF Cup Winners' Cup 
- 2004 CAF Confederation Cup 

• Kwara United Football Club is a Nigerian football club based in Ilorin. They play in the top division in Nigerian football, the Nigeria Professional football League having gained promotion in 2017 from the Nigeria National League. Their home stadium is the Kwara State Stadium.

Performance in CAF competitions:
1. CAF Confederation Cup: 2 appearances 
- 2007       Group stage 
- 2023-23 second round

2. CAF Cup: 1 appearance 
- 1999 Quarter-final

Asante Kotoko SC is currently 4th with 3 points after Match Day 1 games of the 2025-26 season in the Ghana Premier League, while Kwara United FC, on the other hand, is 12th with 5 points after 4 games in the 2025-26 NPFL.