The first-leg meeting between Panthers FC and ASPAC Football Club in the opening preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup has been postponed from Saturday, 5 September 2026, to Tuesday, 8 September.
The fixture has also been moved away from Equatorial Guinea after the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo was downgraded and ruled unable to host the continental match.
Panthers FC had been scheduled to welcome the Beninese club at their usual home ground. However, the loss of approval for the Malabo stadium means the Equatorial Guinean side must now stage the tie at a neutral venue.
Yaounde, in Cameroon, has been selected to host the match. The city will therefore provide the setting for a meeting that had originally been expected to take place in Malabo.
The change of date and venue is the result of the stadium situation rather than any alteration to the competition format. The match remains the first leg of the first preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup, with Panthers FC listed as the home side despite having to leave Equatorial Guinea.
The only outstanding issue is which of Cameroon’s two major stadiums will be used. The game could be played at the Stade Paul Biya d’Olembe, the large venue with a capacity of 60,000, or at the Stade omnisports Ahmadou Ahidjo, which can accommodate 40,000 spectators.
A formal decision on the pitch is expected shortly. Until that confirmation is issued, the exact Yaounde venue remains uncertain, although the relocation to Cameroon has already been decided.
For Panthers FC, the move means losing home advantage in the conventional sense at the start of their continental campaign. Instead of playing in front of supporters at the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo, they will receive ASPAC Football Club on neutral ground in Cameroon.
The Beninese port club will now travel for the rearranged fixture on 8 September, three days later than initially planned. The revised arrangement brings the two teams together in Yaounde while the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo is unavailable for continental competition.
The Stade Paul Biya d’Olembe and Stade omnisports Ahmadou Ahidjo are the two venues under consideration. Their differing capacities are known, but the final choice has not yet been officially announced.
The fixture is consequently defined by two changes: a new date and a new stadium location. What remains unchanged is the pairing, the competition and the identity of the designated home team, Panthers FC.