Two teams from the CECAFA Zone Vipers SC and Young Africans SC made winning starts in the 2025/2026 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League campaign on Friday.

The Uganda Premier League reigning champions Vipers SC stopped African Stars FC (Namibia) 1-0 in the first leg first round match played at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa.

Hillary Mukundane netted Vipers SC’s lone goal after 13 minutes when he diverted a Karim Watamala shot.

Substitute Yunus Sentamu had the chance to make it 2-0 later in the game, but failed to finish in what looked easy when he rounded by the Africans Stars FC goalkeeper Michael James, but missed the target.

Tanzanian giants Young Africans SC also got to a perfect start seeing off Wiliete SC 3-0 away in Angola.

Aziz Andwabile broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute in Luanda, before Edmund John doubled the lead in the 72^nd. Prince Dube also got his name on the scoring board 11 minutes later.

Action continues on Saturday with veracious teams from the CECAFA Zone in action. Ethiopian Insurance FC will host Zanzibar’s Mlandege SC in Addis Ababa, while Mogadishu City Club play Kenya Police FC, and Simba SC (Tanzania) play away to Gaborone Utd.

Two teams from the CECAFA Zone Young Africans SC and Vipers SC will be the first teams to test action in the first preliminary round of the 2025/2026 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League on Friday.

The Tanzanian Premier League giants Young African SC, fresh from winning the Community Shield will play away to debutants Wiliete Sport Club of Angola.

Romain Folz, the Young Africans SC head coach has made it clear that the team is going all out to try and get a comfortable win before the return leg.

“Our mission is to go and try and get a good win away in Angola, so that we make our work easier in the return leg in-front of our fans,” said Folz.

In Cape Town at the Atholone Stadium, Uganda Premier League champions Vipers SC will be in against against African Stars FC (Namibia).

Ivan Jacky Minnaert, the Vipers SC coach says his team is well prepared for the match. He made it clear that the International friendly matches they played in Rwanda against Police FC and Tanzania’s Azam FC also helped them shape up well.

“My team has prepared really well and we have players who are fresh from the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Cup. We are confident we shall get a positive result before hosting the Namibian team at home,” added Minnaert.

Vipers SC will look to the experience of midfielder Taddeo Lwanga who rejoined the team from Rwanda’s APR FC. The Club will also look to the foreign players signed last month, Kevin Dasylva Bady (DR Congo), Odili Chukwuma (Nigeria) and Liberian Mark Yallah.

Action continues on Saturday for CECAFA teams when Ethiopian Insurance FC host Zanzibar’s Mlandega FC, and Mogadishu Scity Club bttle Kenya Police FC in Nairobi.

Tanzania’s Simba SC will also be in action away to Gaborone Utd, and El Merriekh take on Saint Eloi Lupopo (DR Congo). Burundi champions Aigle Noir will host ASAS Djibouti Telecom, while Jamus SC (South Sudan) entertain Al Hilal on Sunday.

Uganda are the only nation to improve in the latest FIFA rankings in the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) Zone.

In the rankings released on Thursday, Uganda improved by six places to 82^nd place with 1287.61 points.

The improvement in ranking is attributed to their recent performance in the CHAN tournament where they reached the quarter final stage and also won two matches in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

Uganda improvement in the FIFA ranking also sees them move to 15^th place in Africa.

Tanzania who dropped by four places to 107^th in the world ranking remain second placed in the CECAFA Zone, while Kenya who also reached the quarter final stage of the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) slipped by two places to 111^th.

Sudan placed 4^th in the CECAFA Zone slipped by six places to 116^th in the world, while Rwanda remained static at 127^th place. Burundi and Ethiopia also dropped by two places to 141^st and one place to 147^th respectively.

All the other nations from the CECAFA Zone South Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia did not improve, while Eritrea is un-ranked.

Morocco, the highest ranked nation in Africa in 11^th place with 1706.27 points. Spain moved to top of the rankings with 1875.37 points.

APR FC’s young attacking midfielder Rouaf Dao Memel has said he is more motivated after winning the Best player Award at the CECAFA Kagame Cup 2025.

The 22-year old Rouaf Dao from Burkina Faso who only joined the Rwandan champions recently said he is glad being the winner of the Award.

“This Award will motivate me to keep working hard because it means really a lot to me,” said the player who also scored the lone goal against KMC FC to help APR FC finish third in the tournament that climaxed on Monday.

Taleb Abderrahim, the APR FC coach said that he was impressed with Roauaf Dao’s good show at the tournament. “He is a young player who has just joined the team and has a lot of potential. This Award is the start of good things to come,” added the coach.

In the other categories Al Hilal SC bagged the Fair Play Award, while Singida Black Stars FC’s Metacha Mnata was voted best goalkeeper.

Zambian International Clatous Chota Chama who recently moved from Young Africans SC and netted a brace to help Singida Black Stars FC win the CECAFA Kagame Cup 2025 was awarded the top scorers’s Award.

After the Awards at the KMC Stadium, the sponsors Betika also hosted the teams and officials to a Gala Dinner at the SuperDome in Masaki.

CECAFA Head of Marketing and Communications, Andrew Jackson Oryada delivered the speech of the Acting President of CECAFA, Alexandre Muyenge who was in Cairo, Egypt to attend a high profile meeting with CAF .

Awards

Winners: Singida Black Stars FC (Tanzania)

Runner-up: Al Hilal SC (Sudan)

Third placed: APR FC (Rwanda)

Best Player Award: Raouaf Dao Memel (APR FC)

Fair Play Award: Al Hilal SC (Sudan)

Top Scorer’s Award: Clatous Chota Chama (Singida Black Stars FC)

Best Goalkeeper Award: Metacha Mnata (Singida Black Stars FC)