CAF changes registration rules and sets women’s finals for 1–15 November

CAF has approved changes affecting squad management in its interclub competitions. In a statement published on 3 October following a virtual meeting the previous day, it announced that players will be allowed to play for more than one club during a single interclub season. The decision concerns continental competition, rather than Linafoot participation rules.

Each club can have a maximum of 40 players registered at any point in the season. The statement also allows clubs to replace four players during the final registration period, provided those being replaced have not been fielded in interclub matches during that season. This is a conditional replacement mechanism, not four additional places above the announced limit.

Disciplinary cases will all be referred to the Disciplinary Board, removing that responsibility from the Interclub Committee. The announcement does not provide a detailed commencement date for the amendments, so it cannot establish that any particular player is immediately eligible under the new provisions.

For women’s club football, there is a confirmed tournament window: the final competition of the 2026 Women’s Champions League will run from 1 to 15 November. The statement sets those dates without announcing a host country, the qualified clubs or the draw. In particular, it does not establish TP Mazembe’s participation in this edition.

These decisions accompany approval of CAF’s competition calendar for 2026–2030. For Congolese clubs, they provide reference points for continental registration and the women’s calendar; how they apply to an individual player or a qualification place still needs to be checked against the documents for the relevant competition.