Holders Wydad Casablanca head a list of 10 former winners in the draw for next year's Champions League race, facing a tough struggle in their bid to buck the trend and retain their title.

Many of the usual suspects return to the fray, including record eight-time winners Al Ahly of Egypt, who were upset in this year's final by the Moroccans.

African Confederation Cup holders TP Mazembe Englebert of the Democratic Republic of Congo will also be highly fancied along with compatriots AS Vita Club, who won their only title in1973 but were runners-up just three years ago.

The north African challenge also includes the Algerian duo of Mouloudia Alger (winners in 1976) and Entente Setif (1988, 2014) and the perennial Tunisian contenders Esperance (1994, 2011).

South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns, who were 2016 winners and knocked out in this year's quarterfinals by Wydad on penalties, are back for a fourth successive year and there is a return for ASEC Abidjan of the Ivory Coast, whose sole victory in the continent's top club competition came in 1998.

In all entries have come in from all but nine of the 56 member, and associate members, countries of the Confederation of African Football. The full list was obtained by KweséESPN from CAF on Thursday.

Missing out are the Cape Verde Islands, Chad, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Eritrea, Namibia, Reunion, Sao Tome e Principe, Sierra Leone and Somalia.

Again, the 12 best ranked countries - in terms of the achievement of their representatives in the two annual African club competitions over the last five years - get to enter two teams.

The rest receive just one in each of the two competitions.

It is the first time Zambia have been allowed two in each competition, knocking Cameroon out of the top 12 and cutting their entries in half.

The Central African Republic, Lesotho, Togo and Uganda are only entering a team in the Champions League while Djibouti are making a rare appearance, but sending police team, Gendarmerie Tnale, to the Confederation Cup.

As is tradition there is no drawing of lots but rather a tennis-style draw created by CAF's secretariat and signed off by the organisation's inter-clubs competition committee that is largely based on geographical considerations in an effort to keep travel costs down for clubs in the early rounds.

The committee meets next week in Cairo and once they have approved the draw, it will be released by CAF. A draw in April for the later stages of both competition is conducted in a more conventional format and in public.

20128 CLUB COMPETITION PARTICIPANTS

CAF Champions League

Two entries

ALGERIA: Entente Setif, Mouloudia Alger

CONGO: AC Leopards, AS Otoho

DR CONGO: AS Vita Club, TP Mazembe Englebert

EGYPT: Al Ahly, Misr Makkassa

IVORY COAST: ASEC Abidjan, Williamsville AC

MALI: Stade Malien, Real Bamako

MOROCCO: DH El Jadidi, Wydad Casablanca (holders)

NIGERIA: Plateau United, MFM FC

SOUTH AFRICA: Bidvest Wits

SUDAN: Al Hilal, Al Merreikh TUNISIA: Esperance, Etoile Sahel

ZAMBIA: Zesco United, Zanaco

One entry

ANGOLA: Primeiro Agosto

BENIN: To be confirmed by the member association

BOTSWANA: Township Rollers

BURKINA FASO: RC Kadiogo

BURUNDI: Lydia Ludic Burundi Academic

CAMEROON: To be confirmed by the member association (Eding Sport)

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Olympic Real Bangui

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Leones Vegetarianos

ETHIOPIA: St George

GABON: CF Mounana

GAMBIA: Gambia Armed Forces

GHANA: Aduana Stars

GUINEA: Horoya

GUINEA BISSAU: Benfica

KENYA: Gor Mahia

LESOTHO: Bantu FC

LIBERIA: LISCR FC

LIBYA: Al Tahadi

MADAGASCAR: CNaPS

MALAWI: Be Forward Wanderers

MAURITANIA: ASAC Concorde

MAURITIUS: Pamplemousse SC

MOZAMBIQUE: UD Songo

NIGER: AS Fan

RWANDA: Rayon Sports

SENEGAL: Generation Foot

SEYCHELLES: St Louis

SWAZILAND: Mbabane Swallows

SOUTH SUDAN: Al Salam

TANZANIA: Young Africans

TOGO: AS Port Lome

UGANDA: Kampala Capital City Authority

ZANZIBAR: JKU SC

ZIMBABWE: FC Platinum

African Confederation Cup

Two entries

ALGERIA: USM Alger, Chabab Belouizdad

CONGO: CS La Mancha, CARA Brazzaville

DR CONGO: DC Motema Pembe, Maniema Union

EGYPT: Al Masry, Zamalek

IVORY COAST: AS Tanda, Africa Sports

MALI: Djoliba, Onze Createurs

MOROCCO: Raja Casablanca, Renaissance Berkane

NIGERIA: Enyimba, Akwa United

SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Town City, SuperSport United

SUDAN: Al Ahly Shandi, Al Hilal El Obeid

TUNISIA: US Ben Guerdane, Club Africain

ZAMBIA: Nkana FC

One entry

ANGOLA: Petro Atletico

BENIN: To be confirmed by the member association

BOTSWANA: Jwaneng Galaxy

BURKINA FASO: Etoile Filante

BURUNDI: Olympic Star

CAMEROON: To be confirmed by the member association

DJIBOUTI: Gendarmerie Tnale

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: CD Niefang

ETHIOPIA: Wolaitta Dicha

GABON: Mangasport

GAMBIA: Hawks

GHANA: Asante Kotoko

GUINEA: Hafia

GUINEA BISSAU: FC Canchungo

KENYA: AFC Leopards

LIBERIA: Elwa United

LIBYA: AL Ittihad

MADAGASCAR: Fosa Juniors

MALAWI: Masters Security Services

MAURITANIA: FC Nouadhibou

MAURITIUS: AS Port Louis 2000

MOZAMBIQUE: Costa do Sol

NIGER: Sahel SC

RWANDA: APR FC

SENEGAL: Mbour Petite Cote

SEYCHELLES: Anse Reunion

SOUTH SUDAN: Al Hilal

SWAZILAND: Young Buffaloes

TANZANIA: Simba SC

ZANZIBAR: Zimamoto

ZIMBABWE: Harare City