Vipers to face Sudan's Al Hilal in CAF Champions League

Vipers will start their 2020/2021 CAF Champions League campaign against Sudanese outfit Al Hilal Omdurman FC in the preliminary round.

This after the draw was held at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt on Monday.

Al Hilal is home to Uganda Cranes goalkeeper Salim Jamal Magoola.

The first leg for the preliminary round will be held between November 27 and 29 in Khartoum before a return leg at St Mary's Stadium between December 4 and 5.

The winner between Vipers and Al Hilal will face Mauritania's Nouadhibour or Ghanaian side Asante Kotoko in the first round of the qualifiers before they progress to the group stages.

A minimum of $550,000 (sh2bn) cash prize awaits Vipers should they make it to the group stages.

All that the Ugandan champions now have to do is navigate past the two opponents in both qualifying rounds to be assured of the cash.

The cash on offer from oil giant Total has the winning team bagging $2.25m, runner-up $1.25m

Losing semi-finalists are assured of $875,000 (sh3.1bn), quarter-finalist $675,000 while the third and fourth-placed teams in the group will each get $550,000.

If Vipers progress to the first round and they are eliminated by either Nouadhibour or Asante Kotoko then they will be subjected to a CAF Confederations Cup play-off round.

Uganda's other representatives KCCA received bye in the preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup but they will take on the winner between Orapa United (Mauritania) and AS Kigali (Rwanda) in the first round.

The first leg of the first round will be played between December 22-23 before a return leg between January 5-6.