NEWS
AFCON QUALIFIERS: Tricky home ties for Uganda, Rwanda
Five teams from the Council of East and Central African Football (CECAFA) region will be in action later today in the Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Regional giants Uganda Cranes will host Burkina Faso in a Group B match at the St. Marys Stadium, Kitende in what promises to be a thriller.
Uganda are second in the group with 7 points, and victory for them against Burkina Faso who lead with 8 points will see them qualify for their third straight AFCON. “We need to focus and to get a good result against Burkina Faso because the game is very important before we even travel to face Malawi next week,” said Uganda Cranes assistant coach Abdallah Mubiru.
The Bright Star of South Sudan who picked their first three points in the 1-0 win against Uganda will host Malawi in another Group B match at the Al Hilal Stadium in Khartoum Sudan. The South Sudan team play all their away matches away from home because the Juba National Stadium is still under renovation.
Rwanda who are bottom of Group F will host second placed Mozambique in Kigali is a game they must win if they hope to turn their campaign round. The Amavubi are riding on the motivation picked from the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) where they reached the quarter final stage.
Cameroon lead Group F with 10 points, while Mozambique and Cape Verde have 4 points each, and Rwanda only 2 points.
Sudan who play away to bottom placed Sao Tome & Principe in Group C will have to be at their best to collect maximum points to brighten their chances of qualification.
The Sudan team are third in the Group with 6 points, but both table leaders Ghana and South Africa are tied on 9 points.
Ethiopia under new coach Wubetu Abate will also be hungry to collect maximum points at home when they host Madagascar in a Group K match. “We have prepared well and we must play with caution and take our chances,” said Abate.
Ethiopia are third in the Group with 6 points, while Ivory Coast and Madagascar have 7 points each, and Niger bottom of the log with 3 points.
Two other teams from the CECAFA region Kenya and Tanzania will be in action on Thursday against Egypt and Equatorial Guinea respectively. On Friday Burundi will host the Central African Republic in a Group E match in Bujumbura.
Kenya’s Tusker FC have progressed to the next round of the 2026/2027 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup.
After a 2-2 draw in the first leg against Al Ahli Madani (Sudan), Tusker FC managed to pick a 1-0 win in the return leg played at the Nyayo Stadium on Saturday.
Chrispin Erambo netted the lone goal in the second half to guide the Brewers to the next stage of the competition where they will face 2025 CECAFA Kagame Cup winners Singida Black Stars FC.
The Tanzanian stopped Al Ghazala FC (South Sudan) 3-0 in the return leg played on Sunday to sail through 10-1 on goal aggregate.
Kitara FC, Uganda’s Premier League side also defeated Mogadishu City Club 2-0 in the return leg played at the new Hoima City Stadium on Saturday. Jimmy Kalema and Frank Tumwesigye to ensure Kitara FC qualified on a 4-1 goal aggregate. They will next face African giants Al Ahly from Egypt in the next round in October.
Rwanda’s Rayon Sports FC who needed a lone goal to see off Panthere FC (Cameroon) 1-0 on Saturday will now face Black Bulls FC from Mozambique in the second preliminary round.
Welwalo Adigrat FC from Ethiopia who edged Al Hilal Alsahil 4-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw on aggregate will now face Libya’s Al Ahly Tripoli.
Tanzania’s Azam FC who start their campaign in the second preliminary round will face ZED FC. The Egyptian side eliminated ASAS from Djibouti 5-1 on aggregate.
Second preliminary round fixtures for CECAFA teams
Kitara FC vs Al Ahly
ZED FC vs Azam FC
Welwalo Adigrat FC vs Al Ahly Tripoli
Tusker FC vs Singida Black Stars FC
Rayon Sports FC vs Black Bulls FC
Rwanda Premier League giants APR FC have qualified for the second preliminary round of the 2026/2027 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
After losing the first leg 1-0 to Les Aigls du Congo last weekend, APR FC defeated the DR Congo side 3-1 in the return leg played at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on Friday.
Skipper Djibril Quattara netted in each half, while Christian Ishimwe also got his name on the score board after 58 minutes.
The match started with a high tempo with APR FC cheered on by the home fans attacking in numbers. After 32 minutes Quattara put the home side ahead and went into the interval without more goals.
Ishimwe made it 2-0 after 58 minutes, before Quattara picked his brace after 75 minutes. The win saw APR FC qualify on a 3-1 goal aggregate.
“I thank the team for responding well and getting the goals that have seen us qualify for the next round,” said APR FC’s head coach Abedrabbihi Taleb after the match.
APR FC will now wait to face the winner between AS Port (Djibouti) and former champions Zamalek (Egypt) in the second round of the preliminary stage. Zamalek lead 2-1 after the first leg and the return leg will be played on Saturday in Cairo, Egypt.
Action returns on Saturday with more teams from the CECAFA Zone in action. Al Hilal SC (Sudan) with a 2-0 advantage host Angie Noir FC (Burundi) at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, while Young Africans SC (Tanzania) host Gaborone United FC from Botswana at the Azam Complex.
South Sudan’s El Merriekh SC Bentiu with a 1-0 advantage will face Heegan FC (Somalia), Al Merrikh SC (Sudan) play away to Power Dynamos FC in Zambia.
On Sunday Zanzibar’s KVZ FC will play away to Swehly FC In Libya, Vipers SC (Uganda) face FC Noundhibou in Mauritania, Gor Mahia FC (Kenya) play Pyramids FC in Egypt, while Simba SC (Tanzania) host Mighty Wanderers FC.
CAF U-20 AFCON CECAFA qualifiers
Uganda to face Djibouti in opening tie of CAF U-20 AFCON Zonal qualifiers
The opening match of the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) CECAFA qualifiers will see Uganda face Djibouti on September 14th in a Group B match in Dar es salaam, Tanzania.
All matches will be played at the newly renovated Uhuru Stadium.
Nine teams will tussle it out to determine the best two that will qualify to represent the CECAFA Zone at the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
Yusuf Mossi, the Competitions Manager of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) told Cecafaonline that they expect a very competitive tournament because most teams started early preparations.
“We had a successful draw held in Rwanda on August 31st and three teams are placed in each of the three groups. The top teams in each of the groups, together with the best second placed team from any of the three groups will automatically qualify for the semi-final stage,” explained Mossi.
Tanzania, the reigning U-20 champions in the Zone are placed in Group A alongside Ethiopia and Rwanda, while Group B has Uganda, Sudan and Djibouti. South Sudan, Kenya and Burundi are placed in Group C.
Day 1 will also see South Sudan face Burundi in a Group C tie, while hosts Tanzania will play the last match of the day against Rwanda.
On September 17th there matches will be played with Rwanda taking on Ethiopia, Djibouti facing Sudan, and Burundi battling Kenya. The last group matches will be played on September 19th with Kenya playing South Sudan, Sudan lining up against Uganda, and Ethiopia battling Tanzania.
The semi-final matches will be played September 22nd with Group B winners facing the best second placed team, and Group A winners taking on Group C winners. The play-off and final will take center stage on September 24th.
The President of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), Paulos Weldehaimanot Andemariam graced the 15th Elective General Assembly of WAFU A in Gambia on September 6th, 2026.
Gambia hosted the West African Football Union A (WAFU A) Elective General Assembly in the capital Banjul.
Andemariam, also the Football President of the Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF) together with several football leaders and delegates from across West Africa attended the Assembly.
He also held different discussions with Football leaders on regional cooperation and the continued development of the game.
Cape Verdean Football Federation, President Mario Mendes Semedo was elected new WAFU A President. He succeeds Lamin Kaba Bajo, the former President of The Gambia Football Federation.
Sarah Mukuna, the CAF Head of Member Associations, CAF Executive Committee Member Augustin Senghor, and FIFA Council Member, CAF Executive Committee Member and President of the Mauritanian Football Federation (FFRIM), Ahmed Yahya also attended the Assembly
WAFU A consists of; The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mali, Liberia and Mauritania.
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