JKU SC are the champions of the 2023/2024 PBZ Zanzibar Premier League.

In their last match played on Saturday, JKU SC settled for a 1-1 draw against Kipanga, while close rivals Zimamoto FC lost 2-0 to Kundemba FC.

JKU SC completed the League with 66 points from 30 matches played, while Zimamoto FC finished in second place with 62 points.

JKU SC will now start preparations to participate in the regional CECAFA Kagame Cup and later the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League. Chipukizi United also lifted the Zanzibar FA Cup

Four teams Kundemba FC, Ngome FC, Jamhuri FC and Maedeleo FC have been relegated to the lower division in the Zanzibar Premier League.

The draw for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifiers will take place on July 4^th, 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Eight teams from the CECAFA Zone including South Sudan who made it through the preliminary round will be drawn in the 12 groups.

The African Football governing body, CAF confirmed on Thursday that the draw will take place before the qualifiers kick-off in September 2024 to determine the first 24 nations that will qualify for the event to take place in Morocco.

Only Tanzania qualified from the CECAFA Zone and played in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 that took place in Ivory Coast. At the 2021 AFCON held in Cameroon, the CECAFA Zone was represented by Sudan and Ethiopia.

The eight CECAFA teams that will be drawn include; South Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Burundi.

The other teams to be drawn for the qualifiers include; Chad, Eswatini, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Teams from the CECAFA Zone Tanzania, Sudan and Rwanda have registered vital wins in the on-going FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

The Taifa Stars shocked hosts Zambia 1-0 in a Group E match played in Ndola on Tuesday evening, while Rwanda also defeated Lesotho 1-0 in a Group C match played in Durban, South Africa.

Sudan were the biggest winners after humbling South Sudan 3-0 in the newly refurbished Juba National Stadium.

Waziri Shentembo netted the lone goal for Tanzania after only 5 minutes. The Zambian team tried to fight back and attacked in numbers, but the Taifa Stars defenders stood firm. The win sends Tanzania to second place with 6 points from three matches played, while Morocco who have played two matches are still top with the same number of points and better goal difference.

Rwanda who suffered a 1-0 defeat to Benin last week were a much more hungry side for a win against Lesotho today. After creating several chances, Jojea Kwizera scored after 45 minutes, and the match ended with no more goals.

After four matches played Rwanda move top of Group C with 7 points and a better goal difference than South Africa who beat Zimbabwe 3-1 and also moved to 7 points.

At the Juba National Stadium in a match watched by the South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit and FIFA President Gianni Infantino among others, the visitors won 3-0. Safour Waliedin gave Sudan the lead going into the interval, while Eltayeb Yasir and Yousif Mohamed added two more goals in the second half.

The win sends Sudan top of Group B with 10 points from 4 matches played, while 2019 African champions Senegal are second on 8 points, and DR Congo 8 points in third place.

Kenya and Ivory Coast played out to a goalless draw in a Group F match played in Lilongwe, Malawi. Burundi later defeated Seychelles 3-1 to move to second place in Group F with 7 points, while Ivory Coast top with 10 points.

Bienvenue Kanakimana netted a brace, while Sudi Abdallah scored the other goal for Burundi in a match played in Berkane, Morocco. Lorenzo Hoareau scored the consolation goal for Seychelles.

Collected results for CECAFA teams on June 10-11th

Botswana 3 Somalia 1

Uganda 1 Algeria 2

South Sudan 0 Sudan 3

Zambia 0 Tanzania 1

Kenya 0 Ivory Coast 0

Seychelles 1 Burundi 3

The President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit and Gianni Infantino, the FIFA President have today inaugurated the Juba National Stadium.

Fifa under the FIFA Forward programme funded the refurbishment of the 7,500 seater Stadium based in the center of Juba Town.

Kiir and Infantino inaugurated the Stadium in-front of close to 5,000 people ahead of a FIFA World Cup qualifier match between South Sudan and Sudan, which the visitors later won 3-0 .

” We thank the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir and the government, and FIFA under the leadership of Infantino for  the support in seeing this dream come true to have this Stadium today that we are ready to start hosting international matches, ” Augustino Maduot Parek, the President of the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA).

FIFA President Infantino also thanked the government of South Sudan and the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) for the good work in developing Football. “This is a great occasion. It is a great opportunity to showcase South Sudan, to showcase the youth of this country, which has so much talent, and it’s our joint responsibility to give this talent an opportunity. Now, this talent, when it comes to football, has the opportunity to play in a brand-new national stadium, which FIFA has been contributing, but it has been a teamwork of all of us to build. And today, we have a beautiful jewel here in South Sudan,” added the FIFA President.

The other dignitaries who attended the inaugural ceremony included the FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafström, Davis Ndayisenga, the Head of the FIFA Development Office in Kigali, CECAFA President Wallace Karia and his Executive Director John Auka Gecheo. The FA President of Ethiopia Esayas Jira also attended the function.

South Sudan was officially admitted as a CAF member on 10th, February 2012 at the 34th CAF Ordinary General Assembly hosted in Libreville, Gabon, and admitted as a FIFA member on 25th, May 2012 at the second session of the 62nd FIFA Congress hosted in Budapest, Hungary.