Orlando Pirates’ CAF Advantage Vanishes After African Stars Make Key Decision
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- Orlando Pirates appeared set to play both CAF Champions League legs in South Africa, giving them a useful travel advantage
- That advantage has now disappeared after African Stars made a key venue decision ahead of their October meeting with the Buccaneers
- Abdeslam Ouaddou had welcomed the chance to avoid a lengthy journey, but Pirates must now adjust to a different first-leg arrangement
Source: Twitter
Orlando Pirates have lost a potential CAF Champions League advantage after African Stars decided not to host their home leg in South Africa.
The Namibian club does not currently have a CAF-approved stadium for the competition. As a result, they played their previous home fixture at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Tshwane.
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That had created an unusual situation for Pirates. Instead of travelling across the region for the first leg, the Buccaneers appeared set to remain in South Africa for both matches against African Stars.
That would have meant fewer travel demands and allowed Pirates to maintain their preparations from their South African base.
Ouaddou had welcomed the arrangement
Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou had already acknowledged the value of avoiding another lengthy continental journey.
"The good news is we stay in South Africa for both games; this is good news, not good news because we are playing that team," Ouaddou said, as quoted by KickOff.
The Moroccan coach explained that staying in South Africa would reduce the kilometres the squad needed to travel, which would help during a busy period. He stressed that Pirates still needed to respect every opponent despite the reduced travel demands.
African Stars change the equation
That advantage has now disappeared. African Stars have confirmed that their home match against Pirates will instead be played at the Botswana National Stadium in Gaborone.
The first leg is scheduled for Saturday, 17 October 2026, at 15:00 Namibian time. Pirates will therefore have to leave South Africa for the opening encounter, then return home for the second leg.
African Stars announced the Botswana venue in a post on X.
Pirates reached this stage after beating La Cure Waves 3-1 on aggregate, while African Stars progressed against Mangasport following a 3-3 aggregate draw.
The change means Pirates now face the journey Ouaddou had hoped to avoid, adding another logistical factor to the Champions League tie.
Steve Lekoelea’s warning over Orlando Pirates squad rotation
Briefly News previously reported that Orlando Pirates legend Steve Lekoelea had raised concerns about Abdeslam Ouaddou’s frequent changes to the starting XI.
Lekoelea pointed to Boitumelo Radiopane as an example, questioning why a player could score and assist before being left out of the following match. He said, “Resting a player who is performing well will only kill his momentum, especially doing that to a player like Radiopane.”
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Source: Briefly News
