APR FC will face Les Aigles du Congo in the preliminary round of the 2026/27 CAF Champions League after the two sides were drawn against each other on August 6, 2026.

The Rwandan champions had written to CAF requesting that the first leg be moved from the DRC, citing security concerns and the Ebola outbreak, which had raised concerns over travelling with the squad to Kinshasa.

APR FC had asked for the match to be played at a neutral venue, with the possibility of moving both legs to another country.

However, IGIHE has learned that CAF rejected the request and informed APR FC that the match would proceed as scheduled in Kinshasa.

The first leg is set to be played at Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa, despite the venue not being among the stadiums most recently listed by CAF as approved to host its competitions in the DRC.

The DRC currently has two stadiums approved for CAF competitions, TP Mazembe Stadium and Frédéric Kibassa Maliba Stadium, both located in Lubumbashi.

Before CAF’s decision, APR FC head coach Abderrahim Taleb had raised concerns about travelling to the DRC, stressing that the health and safety of his players should be the club’s priority.

Following APR FC’s 2-1 friendly win over Etincelles FC on August 9, Taleb said, “We cannot put our players at risk,” adding that the club’s management was in discussions with CAF about potentially moving the match.

Les Aigles du Congo finished second in the 2025/26 DRC Premier League and will host APR FC in the first leg before travelling to Rwanda for the return fixture.

The winner of the tie will face the winner of the preliminary-round match between AS Port of Djibouti and Egyptian side Zamalek in the next stage of the competition.