Tanzania’s JKT Queens marched into the CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers semifinals with a 2-0 victory over South Sudan’s Yei Joint Stars at Kasarani Stadium on Thursday.

With a semifinal slot on the line, both sides displayed discipline early on, keeping tight spaces and relying on short passing. JKT looked sharper in attack, but Yei’s goalkeeper Nawal Majok produced brilliant saves to keep her side alive in the opening half. The game went into the break goalless, but full of promise.

The second half saw JKT raise their intensity. Just minutes after the restart, Jamila Rajab broke through Yei’s defense to calmly slot home the opener.

In the 68th minute, Esther Maseke doubled the lead with a curling strike that Majok could only get a hand to. Yei struggled to keep possession and found it hard to recover as JKT grew in confidence with their two-goal cushion.

“We were facing a better side—stronger and more tactical. That’s why we applied a defensive approach,” explained Yei Joint Stars coach Yamba Yves after the match.

The result sealed JKT’s place at the top of Group C, setting up a mouth-watering semifinal clash against hosts Kenya Police Bullets. In the other semifinal, Uganda’s Kampala Queens will take on Rwanda’s Rayon Sports on 14th September.

Kenya Police Bullets FC marched into the semifinals of the CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers after a 2-0 victory over Eritrea’s Denden FC in a Group A clash at Nyayo Stadium.

The home side looked lively from the onset, pressing high and creating several goal-scoring opportunities. Their early dominance paid off in the 7th minute when Emily Kemunto struck to hand Police the lead. Despite squandering more chances, the Bullets doubled their advantage in the 34th minute through Zaina Namuleme, who coolly slotted home from a well-worked move.

Police went into the break 2-0 up, but Denden returned for the second half more organized defensively. The Eritrean side held firm, frustrating Coach Beldine Odemba’s charges, who were left ruing missed opportunities to kill off the game.

Despite enjoying better spells in midfield, Denden FC failed to carve out clear-cut chances to trouble the Bullets’ backline. In the end, the Kenyan champions secured all three points.

Though out of the tournament Denden FC Coach Rezene Gebregiorgis hailed his team composure having settled in from the first game anxiety. With a young team he felt the experience gathered is good for the teams growth and expects to be better with time.

Kenya Police Bullets have now confirmed their place in the semifinals, finishing top of Group A. They now await the winner of Group C who will either be JKT Queens or Yei Joint Stars in the Semi Final stage

The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) on Wednesday witnessed a historic transition of leadership with Alexandre Muyenge taking over as Acting President.

Outgoing Acting President Augustino Maduot Parek officially handed over the presidency to Muyenge, also President of the Burundi Football Federation.

The ceremony took place at the CECAFA headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, in the presence of Executive Director, Auka Gecheo, CECAFA Executive Committee Member Doris Petra and CECAFA a few staff.

Maduot Parek, who has steered the regional body through a critical phase of competitions and reforms, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve and called for continued unity among Member Associations.

He highlighted the progress made in pursuit of the building CECAFA headquarters among other efforts, and reviving the CECAFA Kagame Cup and youth competitions.

Incoming Acting President Muyenge pledged to build on the achievements of his predecessor, with a focus on strengthening youth development, women’s football, and enhancing the visibility of CECAFA competitions across the continent.

The smooth handover marks a new chapter for CECAFA as it continues to play a pivotal role in nurturing football talent and fostering regional integration through the game.

Muyenge will serve as Acting CECAFA President until the 2026 Elective General Assembly.

The national team of Ethiopia will face D.C United in an international friendly match today at the Audi Field in Washington DC.

Coach Mesay Teferi will also use the match to prepare his Walia Ibex team ahead of the next round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier where they face Egypt in early September.

“We are very happy that we have an opportunity for our national team to play against D.C United with few weeks to the FIFA World Cup qualifier games,” says Teferi.

Ethiopia will hope that Bereket Desta and Abubeker Nassir who each netted a hat trick in the 6-1 win against Djibouti in their last FIFA World Cup qualifier can find their scoring touch again.

D.C United is a professional soccer club which competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) is based in Washington D.C.

The match between D.C United and the Walia Ibex is the second annual edition of the Ethiopia Soccer Legacy Match after D.C. United hosted Ethiopian Premier League sides Coffee Sport Club and St. George FC in 2024.

The Ethiopia Soccer Legacy Match was established in 2024 as a growing collaboration with D.C United co-owner Eyob Joe Mamo, CEO of Capital Petroleum. This partnership is designed to create opportunities to develop future talent in Ethiopia while also bringing soccer events featuring Ethiopia clubs and its national team to Audi Field.