Wanderers to face Botswana giants, Jwaneng Galaxy in CAF Confederation Cup

Malawi’s representative in the CAF Confederation Cup, Mighty Wanderers Football Club have been drawn against Botswana giants, Jwaneng Galaxy in the first Preliminary Round.

The Confederation of African Football conducted the draw for the tournament on Saturday in Tanzania at Azam TV studios.

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Wanderers are making their return to the continental showpiece since 2018 when they were hammered 6-1 by Congolese side, AS Vita in the Preliminary Round of the CAF Champions League.

This time, the Nomads are competing in the second-tier tournament of the Confederation of African Football and they feel pumped to go all the way to the Group stages of the tournament.

The Nomads do face real test on their way to their intended target as they face storied Galaxy in the first match and should they win the two-legged match, they will face the winner between Gabon’s FC 105 and Zambia’s giants, Zesco United.

The Chairperson of Football Development, Legal and Compliance in the Mighty Wanderers Limited’s Board of Directors, David Kanyenda Esq alongside the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Panganeni Ndovi represented Mighty Wanderers FC during the 1st and 2nd preliminary draws of the 2025/26 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup held in Dar es salaam, Tanzania.

We are pumped up but we need thorough preparations- Bob

Mighty Wanderers Head Coach has reacted calmly to the draw and has expressed confidence in his squad to withstand the pressure of playing an international match.

Bob said his team has welcomed the draw with enthusiasm and they are looking forward to facing Jwaneng Galaxy.

“Well, all I can say is that we have welcomed the draw with enthusiasm. Our opponents [Jwaneng Galaxy] are a good side. They have a more recent experience in this tournament than us and records show that they faired well. We are up to the challenge, we just need to prepare adequately.”

The Nomads are currently enjoying a good run of form in the TNM Super League, plying 14 games unbeaten and they are leading the table, slightly above their cross-town rivals, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets.

Who are Jwaneng Galaxy, Wanderers opponents?

Galaxy were founded in 2015 after two local clubs merged: the Jwaneng Comets and the Debswana Youngsters.

Led by Zambian coach Mike Sithole, Galaxy won the club’s first silverware in 2016–17, the Mascom Top 8 Cup, beating Orapa United in extra time in the final.They also finished second in the Botswana Premier League and qualified for the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup. Sitole was fired in November 2017, but Galaxy ended the 2017–18 campaign in second again, only four points off of champions Township Rollers F.C

Miguel da Costa became the head coach for the 2018–19 campaign after leaving Uganda’s Vipers SC.

Galaxy were promoted to the Botswana Premier League for the first time in 2015, winning the First Division South with a match to spare.

Galaxy have just participated in the CAF tournaments four times- in 2018, 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024/25 season. They participated in the Confederations Cup in 2018 but they were beaten 2-0 on aggregate by Mozambique side, Costa do Sol after losing 1-0 at home before another 1-0 away from home.

Jwaneng returned to the continental showpiece in 2021-22 season where they did wonders by reaching the group stages of the competition. They beat Diplomates Football Club du 8ème Arrondissement, usually known as DFC 8ème Arrondissement or DFC8 for a short, a football (soccer) club from Central African Republic based in Bangui 2-1 in aggregate in the first Preliminary Round.

That win booked them a match against Tanzania giants, Simba Sporting Club. They lost 2-0 at home but pulled a shocking 3-1 win away in Tanzania to progress on an away goal rule as the game ended 3-3 on aggregate.

In group stages, Jwaneng were roasted 7-0 on aggregate by ES Tunis of Tunisia after losing 3-0 at home and 4-0 away. They then played against CR Belouizdad who hammered them 6-2 on aggregate after losing 2-1 at home before losing 4-1 away.

They capped off their group stage matches with another Tunisian side, Ètoile du Sahel who beat them 4-3, playing a 1-all draw at home before losing 3-2 away and they finished 4th in their group.

In 2023/24 tournament, Galaxy returned with ambition as they reached the group stages again. Enroute to securing a place in the group stages, Galaxy triumphed over Uganda’s Vipers SC before doing the unthinkable in sinking Orlando Pirates in the 2^ndPreliminary Round of qualifiers – an achievement that sees them secure a place in the competition’s group stages along with Wydad, Simba AC as well as Asec Mimosas.

They kicked the group stages with an eye-catching 2-1 win over Wydad in Morocco before playing a barren stalemate against Tanzanian side, Simba SC. They then lost to Asec Mimosa in the first round of the group stages.

In the return legs of the group stages, Galaxy lost 6-0 to Simba away, 1-0 to Wydad Athletic and 3-0 to Asec Mimosa.

Last season, they reached the second round of the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League before falling to Orlando Pirates. They beat African Stars of Namibia on penalties after a 1-all draw but they were beaten in both legs by Pirates, 2-0 at home and 1-0 away.