As of 2023, this is the most recent edition of the tournament won by a team from a non-Arab country.

[2] As a result, theoretically a maximum of 69 teams could enter the tournament – although this level had never been reached.

[4] For the first time, some rounds of matches were officially scheduled in midweek (in italics) instead of on weekends.

[5] The draw for the preliminary, first and second rounds was held on 11 December 2015 in Dakar, Senegal.

The draw for the group stage was held on 24 May 2016, 14:30 EET (UTC+2), at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order (Regulations III.