Egypt's Ahly will face the winner between Gabon's CF Mounana and Burkina Faso's Rail Club du Kadiogo in the 2018 CAF Champions League round of 32 as the tournament's preliminary round draw was announced Wednesday in Cairo.

Last season's Champions Wydad of Morocco and runners-up Ahly were exempted by the African football governing body from playing at the preliminary round alongside DR Congo's TP Mazembe, South Africa's Sundowns and Tunisia's Étoile Sportive du Sahel. The quintet will appear directly in the round of 32.

The winner of the preliminary round match between CF Mounana and Rail Club du Kadiogo will be facing the eight-time African Champions Ahly in the next round. The first leg will be played in Egypt, while the return match will be away.

Egyptian league runners-up Maqassa will be competing for the first time ever at the prestigious continental tournament with their country's champions Ahly.

Maqassa will kick off their campaign from the preliminary round by facing Senegal's Generation Foot.

The first leg will be played on 9, 10 or 11 February in Senegal, while the return match will be on 20 or 21 of the same month in Egypt.

If Maqassa manages to reach the round of 32, they will face the winner between Guinea's Horoya and Nigeria's AS FAN.

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