St Eloi Lupopo’s Champions League Plans Change After CAF Directive

St Eloi Lupopo's technical bench during a recent match. Photo: St Eloi Lupopo

St Eloi Lupopo’s Champions League Plans Change After CAF Directive

Joel Omotto 18:32 - 15.11.2025

DR Congo club St Eloi Lupopo have been forced to change their CAF Champions League plans following an order from Africa’s football governing body.

Congolese side St Eloi Lupopo continues to receive setbacks in their plans ahead of the CAF Champions League group stages.

The Lubumbashi-based club have had to deal with a number of litigations in recent weeks both in local and continental competitions.

One of them involves a case filed at CAF by South African giants Orlando Pirates over the eligibility of their coach and two players for their second preliminary round match, which they won on post-match penalties, to advance to the group stages.

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They are also facing possible sanctions at home for allegedly playing a suspended player in one of their recent league matches although the club has denied all the allegations levelled against them.

What is CAF’s Directive to Lupopo?

Lupopo look to have survived the Pirates case, for now, as CAF is yet to give a directive on the issue and included them in the draw for the group stages which will see them take on South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Algerian giants MC Alger and Al-Hilal from Sudan.

However, their plans to host their Champions League group stage matches at their traditional home have suffered a setback after CAF failed to approve the Frederic-Kibasa Maliba Stadium for failing to meet the standards.

It means they will now play away from familiar grounds after Africa’s football governing body directed that they host their matches at TP Mazembe’s Kamalondo Stadium instead.

Lupopo will begin their Champions League group stage action with an away match to Sundowns on November 22 with their first home game being against Al-Hilal eight days later.