Raja Club Athletic booked their place in the 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup group stage after scoring twice late in the second half to defeat Nigeria’s El-Kanemi Warriors 2-0 in Casablanca on Friday, securing a 4-2 aggregate victory.
The Moroccan giants, two-time winners of the competition, broke the deadlock in the 88th minute through Aymen Barkok before Portuguese defender Marian Huja struck five minutes into stoppage time to seal qualification at the Mohammed V Stadium.
Raja had been held to a 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, leaving the tie delicately balanced ahead of the return fixture.
El-Kanemi Warriors, Nigeria’s Federation Cup holders, travelled to Morocco needing to avoid defeat after surrendering their lead in the opening encounter. The Nigerian side had taken an early lead in Ikenne before Raja responded through Mohammad Abu Zrayq and Mathias Oyewusi. Nnamdi Mejuobi’s late equaliser ensured the first leg ended 2-2.
In the return leg, El-Kanemi held the hosts until the closing stages and appeared to be keeping the tie alive, but Barkok’s late free-kick finally broke their resistance. Huja then added a second goal in stoppage time to put the outcome beyond doubt.
The defeat ends El-Kanemi Warriors’ continental campaign before the group stage, while Raja move forward with their pursuit of a third CAF Confederation Cup title.
The result also underlines the difficulty of the challenge facing the Nigerian representatives, who had earned a valuable draw on home soil but were unable to withstand Raja’s late pressure in Casablanca.
Raja will now await the group-stage draw to discover their next opponents as the Moroccan club resumes its bid for continental silverware.