Gor Mahia under Ghana coach Charles Akonnor will be making a return to the continental stage having missed out in the last campaign.
Last season, Kenya were represented by Kenya Police FC, who won the FKF Premier League title, while newbies Nairobi United took part in the CAF Confederation after winning the domestic FKF Cup.
With the assignment ahead, Gor Mahia has bolstered its squad with several new additions, including goalkeeper Humphrey Katasi, Michael Onyango, midfielders Eno Machaka and Wesley Oteno, and defender Daniel Zakari.
When is Gor Mahia vs Pyramids FC?
The first-leg meeting will take place on Sunday, September 6th, at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi with kick-off set for 3pm (EAT). The second leg will be played a week later, on September 13th, in Cairo, Egypt.
The second leg will be played a week later, on September 13, in Cairo, Egypt. Pyramids FC are expected to arrive in Nairobi on Thursday, September 3rd, to prepare for the encounter.
The record Kenyan champions will face a Pyramids side that has established itself among the continent’s leading clubs in recent seasons.
The Egyptian outfit won its maiden CAF Champions League title in 2025 after defeating South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns 3-2 on aggregate in the final.
Gor Mahia will give best shot
However, Akonnor has remained confident and upbeat ahead of the huge test against a side, who were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2026 edition after losing to AS FAR Rabat.
“I am always hungry as a coach. I never like to lose,” Akonnor said as quoted by The Star. “We know that we have a bigger competition coming ahead of us and we shall give it our best shot.
“If we’re able to test ourselves and do well against the likes of Al Hilal, who are a big team in Africa, then we've achieved something.”
Akonnor further admitted Pyramids are a formidable opponent but insisted K’Ogalo have a chance to cause an upset.
“Pyramids are giants, but in football everything is possible,” added Akonnor, who guided Gor Mahia to the league title in his first season with the club.
Gor Mahia will go into the fixture having lost their FKF Super Cup fixture 3-1 against Tusker FC on Sunday. The fixture used to curtain-rase for the new season, saw Gor Mahia dominated by the Tusker side.
For Pyramids, they have already kicked off the Egyptian Premier League with a 3-0 victory against Ghazl El Mahalla SC. Pyramids under South Africa coach Rulani Mokwena, are currently sitting at the top of the 20-team league table.
Gor Mahia's return provides them with another opportunity to feature in the competition, where their best performance came in 1987 when they clinched the Nelson Mandela Cup (Africa Cup Winners Cup) after defeating Tunisian giants Esperance on an away goal rule following a 3-3 aggregate result.
Gor Mahia suffer injury blow
Apart from the defeat, Gor Mahia suffered a huge blow after midfielder Lawrence Juma, who came in the second half, sustained an injury and has already been ruled out of the Pyramids game.
A statement from the club confirmed: “Lawrence Juma will be out of action for at least four weeks after suffering a fractured forearm during the Super Cup clash.”
Gor Mahia club doctor Brian Odongo confirmed the extent of the injury after imaging was conducted by saying: “Lawrence Juma was referred to the hospital for further assessment and imaging confirmed a fracture of the proximal radial diaphysis.
“Lawrence will remain out of contact training and competitive football for four weeks as he focuses on recovery. Once healing is confirmed, he will begin a gradual return to play program under the guidance of the medical team.”
The statement concluded: “The midfielder will now undergo a period of rest and rehabilitation before beginning his phased return to full training.
“His absence will be felt in the coming fixtures as the team navigates the early stages of the season.”
Gor Mahia has previously endured a difficult run in the Champions League, always failing to get to the group stages and beyond. However, they have had good performances in recent years when they managed to make it from the group stage.
The first of such qualifications was in 2018 when they beat SuperSport United on a 3-2 aggregate win followed again in 2019 where they dispatched New Stars United of Cameroon 2-1 on aggregate.
In the 2019 sojourn, K’Ogalo had a sterling performance in the group stages and qualified for the quarter-finals losing to RS Berkane of Morocco.
Their last attempt in the 2021/22 season fell at the return leg against NAPSA Stars when a last-second penalty awarded to the Zambian outfit saw the team bow out.
The winner of the two-legged contest will advance to the second preliminary round, where they will face either South Sudan’s El Merreikh Bentiu or Somalia’s Heegan FC.
