ZED FC booked their place in the Round of 32 of the 2026-27 CAF Confederation Cup after drawing 1-1 with Djibouti’s Asas in the second leg of the first preliminary round.

The Egyptian side entered the return match with a comfortable advantage after winning the first leg 4-0, putting themselves in a strong position to complete the job without major pressure.

ZED eventually advanced with a 5-1 aggregate victory to continue their African campaign.

A draw confirms qualification

The return leg did not start as ZED had planned, as Asas took an early lead in the eighth minute when ZED defender Abdullah Bakri accidentally put the ball into his own net.

However, ZED responded quickly and did not allow their opponents to build momentum from the early goal.

Abdelrahman El-Banouby scored the equalizer in the 26th minute, bringing the score back to 1-1 and ending Asas’ early hopes of creating a surprise comeback.

The score remained unchanged for the rest of the match, with both teams eventually settling for a 1-1 draw.

Although ZED did not win the second leg, most of the work had already been completed in the first match following their convincing 4-0 victory.

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That result gave ZED a 5-1 aggregate win and secured their place in the next round of the competition.

Head coach Mohamed Shawky also made some changes to his lineup, with goalkeeper Mazika starting instead of Ali Lotfi, while several regular players were used to make sure the team protected its first-leg advantage.

The defensive line included Mohamed Rabia, Abdullah Bakri, Mohamed Ezz and Wagdy Nabhan, while Sameh Ibrahim, Mahmoud Nabil and Ahmed Adel Messi were among the midfield options.

Walid Farag, Ahmed Atef and Abdelrahman El-Banouby led the attacking line, with El-Banouby scoring the goal that helped ZED remain comfortable during the game.

Azam up next

ZED will now turn their attention to the next stage of the CAF Confederation Cup, where they are set to face Tanzania’s Azam in the Round of 32.

The Egyptian side move into the next round with growing confidence after completing the first preliminary round unbeaten and scoring five goals across the two legs while conceding only once.

The upcoming match against Azam is expected to provide a tougher test, with ZED looking to build on their strong start and continue their progress in the continental competition.

Mohamed Shawky and his coaching staff will now focus on preparing the squad for the Tanzanian challenge after completing the first step of their African campaign successfully.