ASKO Kara general secretary Patrice Agboli insists the Togolese club will not approach their CAF Confederation Cup campaign as resigned underdogs despite being drawn against African heavyweights Al Ahly and Raja Casablanca.
ASKO are in Group A of the 2026/27 competition alongside Egyptian giants Al Ahly, Moroccan side Raja and Angola’s Primeiro de Agosto following Wednesday’s draw in Cairo.
Agboli acknowledged the pedigree of their opponents but said ASKO had earned their place in the group stage and would compete for victories rather than be overawed by reputations.
“We have been placed in a very strong group, which includes prestigious and more experienced clubs, such as Al Ahly and Raja Casablanca, clubs that have a great history in continental competitions, but that’s football,” he said.
“On paper, we are the underdogs against Al Ahly and Raja, but we will not come as resigned victims. Rather, we will play the matches with full force, respecting our opponents, while adhering to our style of play and striving to achieve victory,” Agboli added.
Experience against Egyptian opposition
The ASKO official also expressed surprise at Al Ahly’s presence in the Confederation Cup, given the Cairo club’s reputation and record in African football.
Al Ahly qualified for the group stage after defeating Uganda’s Kitara FC 6-1 on aggregate. The Egyptian side have previously won the Confederation Cup, while Raja have lifted the trophy twice, in 2018 and 2021
Agboli believes ASKO’s previous encounters with Egyptian opposition could help them prepare for the challenge. The Togolese club have faced Pyramids FC and Future FC, now known as Modern Sport, gaining experience against teams from the North African country.
“Al Ahly is a great team and a prestigious club, and we do not know why they are participating in the Confederation Cup this year, but we have some experience in facing Egyptian clubs, after we played against Pyramids and Future, and we played two matches against each team,” he said.
ASKO secured their group-stage place by overcoming Mali’s FC Diarra on the away-goals rule after their qualifying tie ended 3-3 on aggregate.
The group stage is scheduled to begin on the weekend of November 27–29, with the second round of matches set for December 4–6. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals in February 2027.
For ASKO, the challenge will be to turn Agboli’s confidence into results against three opponents with significant continental experience.
