Vodacom Premier League (VPL) champions Lijabatho FC will be targeting a strong finish to their CAF Champions League preliminary round campaign when they take on Madagascar’s CFFA in the second leg on 12 September 2026.
The crucial return match will be played at Dobsonville Stadium in South Africa, where Lijabatho will be seeking to overturn a two-goal deficit following their 2–0 defeat to CFFA in the first leg last week.
That first-leg tie was itself played away from Madagascar, at the Côte d’Or sports complex in Mauritius, after CFFA, like Lijabatho, were unable to host the match at home due to the absence of a CAF-approved stadium in their country.
The two sides are meeting in the first preliminary round of Africa’s premier club competition, with a place in the Second Preliminary Round at stake.
A total of 61 clubs entered this season’s CAF Champions League, with defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Tunisia’s Espérance de Tunis and Morocco’s RS Berkane among the elite sides exempted from the opening rounds altogether.
Lijabatho’s opponents, formally known as the Centre de Formation de Football d’Andoharanofotsy (CFFA), enter the tie as reigning double champions of Madagascar, having won the domestic title in both 2022 and 2026.
The Malagasy side reinforced their squad ahead of the continental campaign, bringing in six new players, and are coached by Franck Rajaonarisamba, who has said his team will not underestimate Lijabatho given how rapidly football in Lesotho is developing.
By contrast, Lijabatho are a relatively young club based in Morija having convincingly won their first premier league title during the 2025/26 VPL season.
Lijabatho will be under pressure to produce a convincing performance and score at least twice to stand a chance of progressing in the competition. Both Lesotho and Madagascar have been affected by the lack of CAF-approved stadiums capable of hosting international matches, forcing both CFFA and Lijabatho to play their “home” continental fixtures at neutral venues outside their own countries this campaign.
The second leg at Dobsonville Stadium presents Lijabatho with an opportunity to fight back and keep their continental ambitions alive.
Lijabatho Head Coach Kabelo Malapane said the team’s recent matches had provided valuable match fitness, particularly for players who needed more competitive minutes.
“The two matches we played gave us game fitness, especially Majantja. They gave us a good test. The intensity was very good. We kept a clean sheet against them and also created good scoring opportunities, although we did not score,” Malapane explained.
The coach’s remarks indicate that Lijabatho have used their recent matches to prepare for the intensity and demands of continental football. Although the side failed to find the back of the net in those encounters, Malapane was encouraged by their ability to create scoring opportunities and maintain defensive discipline.
The Lesotho champions will now be hoping that their improved match fitness and preparations translate into goals when they face CFFA in what promises to be a decisive encounter.
The winner of the two-legged tie between Lijabatho and CFFA will advance to the Second Preliminary Round, where they will face the winner of the clash between Botswana’s Gaborone United and Tanzania’s Young Africans. That round is scheduled to be played over two legs from October 16 to 18, with return fixtures from October 23 to 25, after which the 16 surviving clubs in the competition will progress to the lucrative group stage.
Even should Lijabatho’s continental journey end this weekend, CAF has committed to providing every club eliminated during the Preliminary Rounds with USD 100,000 in financial support to help offset travel and logistical costs — part of the confederation’s broader push to ease the financial burden of continental competition for smaller federations like Lesotho’s.
Lijabatho’s progression would represent an important achievement and provide another opportunity to showcase Lesotho football on the continental stage. However, they first face the difficult task of overturning the 2–0 first-leg deficit when they meet CFFA at Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday, September 12.
Summary
- The crucial return match will be played at Dobsonville Stadium in South Africa, where Lijabatho will be seeking to overturn a two-goal deficit following their 2–0 defeat to CFFA in the first leg last week.
- That first-leg tie was itself played away from Madagascar, at the Côte d’Or sports complex in Mauritius, after CFFA, like Lijabatho, were unable to host the match at home due to the absence of a CAF-approved stadium in their country.
- The winner of the two-legged tie between Lijabatho and CFFA will advance to the Second Preliminary Round, where they will face the winner of the clash between Botswana’s Gaborone United and Tanzania’s Young Africans.
Seabata Mahao is a general news reporter with special focus on Business and Sports. Started working at Newsday in 2021. Working in a team with a shared goal is what I enjoy most and that gives me the motivation to work under any environment leading to growth.
