African club football served up a feast of drama on Sunday as the preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup delivered goals, upsets, and first-leg statements.

Across the continent, 13 CAF Champions League fixtures lit up the day. Six clubs struck early blows in their quest for a coveted group-stage berth. Mali’s Stade Malien silenced AS Tempête Mocaf with a ruthless 5–0 away win, while Espérance Sportive de Tunis flexed their pedigree by cruising past AS-FAN 3–0. Tunisia’s Monastir joined the party with a 4–0 demolition of East End Lions in Sierra Leone. Nigeria’s Remo Stars thrilled their home crowd with a resounding 4–0 victory over Zilimadjou of Comoros, as Zimbabwe’s Simba Bhora edged Nsingizini Hotspurs 1–0 and Morocco’s AS FAR sealed a confident 2–0 triumph at Real Banjul.

Not everyone had it their own way. Seven encounters finished level, five of them goalless—including cagey affairs like Jamus versus Al Hilal and Colombe against Jaraaf—leaving everything to play for in the return legs.

The Champions League action isn’t done yet. Two first-leg matches remain: FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo host Al Merrikh SC in Lubumbashi on Saturday, while defending champions Pyramids FC kick off their title defence on Wednesday, 1 October, against APR in Kigali.

In the CAF Confederation Cup, six clubs also took early control. Somali outfit Dekedaha edged Al-Zamala 1–0, Mighty Wanderers of Malawi matched that scoreline over Jwaneng Galaxy, and Zanzibar’s KMKM earned a 2–1 away win at AS du Port. Congo’s AS Otohô pulled off a fine 2–1 triumph at Angola’s 1º de Agosto, while Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko treated fans to a seven-goal thriller, outlasting Nigeria’s Kwara United 4–3 in Kumasi.

The day’s standout story came from Equatorial Guinea, where 15 de Agosto stormed into the second preliminary round with a commanding 4–0 home win over Seychellois side Foresters, completing a 4–1 aggregate rout.

Four Confederation Cup ties ended all square—Abia Warriors 1–1 Djoliba, Clube Ferroviário de Maputo 1–1 AS Fanalamanga, Black Man Warrior 0–0 Coton Sport Benin, and Génération Foot 1–1 AFAD Djékanou—leaving their fates finely balanced ahead of the second legs beginning Wednesday, 24 September, and running through Sunday, 5 October.

Sunday proved once again why CAF’s interclub competitions are some of Africa’s most unpredictable spectacles—where giants can stumble, newcomers can dazzle, and every goal can rewrite the script.