The 2018 CAF Confederation Cup qualifying rounds were played from 9 February to 18 April 2018.[1] 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.[2]
Draw
The draw for the preliminary round and first round was held on 13 December 2017 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.[3][4]
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).
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).[2]
Schedule
The schedule of each round was as follows (matches scheduled in midweek in italics).[1]
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.[3][4]
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.[8][9] 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):[10]
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.[11]
