Orlando Pirates will begin their Caf Confederation Cup qualifying campaign on 22 December after being handed a bye for the opening round of qualifying.

The Soweto giants seal their spot in the preliminary rounds of the Confederation Cup after they finished third in the league last year, with the top two, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, heading into the Champions League.

The first preliminary round of the competition is set to begin on the weekend of 27-29 November, but Pirates will only be in action from the second round after they were handed a bye from Caf.

The Sea Robbers confirmed the news in a statement on their website, adding that their opponents for that second-round clash will be the winner of the first-round match between Sagrada Esperança of Angola and the qualifying team from Eswatini.

‘The path to Caf Confederations Cup glory has been paved out for Orlando Pirates and the rest of the squads that will be duelling it out in the 2020-21 edition of the competition. Josef Zinnbauer’s men have received a bye for the opening preliminary round and will only kickstart their campaign in the second preliminary round,’ Pirates confirmed on the club’s official website.

‘The Buccaneers will face the winner between Sagrada Esperança of Angola and the qualifying team from Eswatini. The preliminary round first-leg matches will be played over the weekend of 27-29 November 2020 and the second leg on 4-6 December 2020. The second preliminary round matches will start on 22-23 December 2020 and second leg will be on 5-6 January 2021.’