A source inside the African Football Confederation "CAF" revealed the preliminary opinion on the request submitted by Hani Abu Rida, member of the Executive Office of the African Football Confederation and President of the Egyptian Football Association, regarding increasing the number of clubs participating in the African Champions League and Confederation competitions.
Hani Abu Rida requested to increase the number of clubs from some participating countries in the Champions League and Confederation to three.
Is Abu Rida's request feasible for implementation?
A source inside the African Football Confederation said in statements to Yalla Koura: "If Hani Abu Rida, as an executive office member or president of the Egyptian Football Association, submits a request to increase the number of clubs, it will be difficult to implement it in the current season".
He continued: "In order to increase the number of clubs, a new preliminary round must be added, and there is no time slot in the tournament schedule that has already been announced to play more matches".
He added: "The number of federations that can be allowed to increase their representatives in club competitions must be after a study is presented, discussed, and then implemented".
Football Association Statement
Hani Abu Rida officially requested from "CAF" to increase the number of participating clubs in the African Champions League and Confederation Cup.
The statement said: "In light of the achievements made by the African federations participating in the 2026 World Cup, Hani Abu Rida submitted an official request to the African Football Confederation (CAF), which includes a request to increase the number of participating clubs in both the African Champions League and the African Confederation Cup".
He concluded: "Accordingly, the share of some federations, according to the applicable classification criteria, could rise to three clubs in the African Champions League and three clubs in the African Confederation Cup, provided that the additional clubs' participation begins from the preliminary rounds".