The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) has announced that US$60,000 prize money will be at stake at the CECAFA Dar Port Kagame Cup 2024.

Tanzania will host the regional tournament from July 9^th-21^st in Dar es Salaam.

John Auka Gecheo, the Executive Director of CECAFA has made it clear that the support from the Football loving President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame will continue. “We are glad that since 2002 His Excellency Kagame has supported the growth of Football in the CECAFA Zone by $60,000 towards prize money when the tournament takes place,” says Gecheo.

The Executive Director made it clear that the winners at the Dar Port Kagame Cup will pocket US$30,000, while the runner-up takes US$20,000 and the third placed team US$10,000. Dar es Salaam Port under the Tanzania Ports Authority and Azam TV are the other partners supporting the regional tournament.

Twelve teams will battle in this year’s tournament with Zambia Premier League Champions Red Arrows being the only guest side.

The top team in each of the three groups and the best runners up from any of the groups will automatically qualify for the semi-final stage.

Groups A: Coast Union FC (Tanzania), Al Wadi FC (Sudan), JKU SC (Zanzibar), Dekedaha FC (Somalia)

Group B: Al Hilal (Sudan), Gor Mahia FC (Kenya), Red Arrows FC (Zambia), Djibouti Telecom (Djibouti)

Group C: SC Villa (Uganda), APR FC (Rwanda), Singida Black Stars (Tanzania), El Merriekh Bentiu (South Sudan)

Uganda Cranes have been drawn to face South Sudan in Group K of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifiers.

Morocco are set to host the AFCON 2025 starting in December with 24 teams in the continent tussling it out.

During the draw conducted on Thursday in Johannesburg, South Africa and supervised by CAF Director for Tournaments and Events, Samson Adamu, Uganda who last qualified for Africa’s biggest tournament in 2019 were placed with South Sudan, Congo Brazzaville and 1996 champions South Africa.

Ivory Coast legend Emerse Faé, and Moroccan legend Marouane Chamakh conducted the draw.

Two teams from the CECAFA Zone that will also face-off are Tanzania and Ethiopia placed in Group H together with Guinea and DR Congo. The Taifa Stars are the only team from the CECAFA Zone that played at the AFCON early this year in Ivory Coast.

The Harambee Stars of Kenya who last featured at the AFCON 2019 in Egypt have been placed in Group J alongside Cameroon, Namibia and Zimbabwe, while Sudan are in Group F together with Ghana, Angola and Niger.

Rwanda are placed in Group D alongside Nigeria, Benin and Libya, while Burundi will battle Senegal, Burkina Faso and Malawi in Group L.

The qualifiers to be played on a home and away basis will start in September 2024 and climax in November 2024 with the first and runners-up in the eleven (11) groups that do not involve tournament hosts Morocco, will gain qualification to the competition. The Group that has Morocco will only qualify one team.

Group A

Tunisia
Madagascar
Comoros
The Gambia

Group B

Morocco
Gabon
Central African Republic
Lesotho

Group C

Egypt
Cape Verde
Mauritania
Botswana

Group D

Nigeria
Benin
Libya
Rwanda

Group E

Algeria
Equatorial Guinea
Togo
Liberia

Group F

Ghana
Angola
Sudan
Niger

Group G

Ivory Coast
Zambia
Sierra Leone
Chad

Group H

DR Congo
Guinea
Tanzania
Ethiopia

Group I

Mali
Mozambique
Guinea Bissau
Eswatini

Group J

Cameroon
Namibia
Kenya
Zimbabwe

Group K

South Africa
Uganda
Congo
South Sudan

Group L

Senegal
Burkina Faso
Malawi
Burundi

Al Wadi FC will open their campaign against JKU SC in a Group A encounter at the KMC Stadium in Kinondoni as the CECAFA Dar Port Kagame Cup 2024 kicks off on July 9^th in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

According to the fixtures released on Thursday morning three other matches will be played on Day 1 of the regional tournament.

The second Group A match that will see take place will see Tanzania’s representatives in the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, Coastal Union FC face Somalia giants Dekadaha.

Ugandan side SC Villa will kick start against El Merriekh Bentiu FC (South Sudan) in a Group C match to be played later in the evening on July 9^th at the Azam Complex, Chamazi.

SC Villa who recently lifted the Uganda Premier League title after 20 years of waiting since they last won it are not strangers in this regional tournament having won the Cup three times. El Merriekh Bentiu, the 2023/2024 South Sudan League champions will be making their debut in the CECAFA Dar Port Kagame Cup.

The last match on Day 1 will see Rwanda Premier League champions APR FC will battle Singida Big Stars FC (Tanzania) in a Group C match at the Azam Complex, Chamazi.

Yusuf Mossi, the CECAFA Competitions Manager says July 11^th will be a rest day, before action resumes the next day with four matches on card. The last group matches will be played on July 16^th, while the semi-finals take center stage on July 19^th.

The top teams in each of the three groups, and the best runner-up will qualify for the semi-final stage. The play-off match to determine which team finishes third and the final will all be played on July 21^st at the Azam Complex, Chamazi.

The draw for the CECAFA Dar Port Kagame Cup 2024 has been conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Kenya Premier League champions Gor Mahia have been placed in a Group of death (B) that also has Al Hilal (Sudan), Red Arrows (Zambia) and Djibouti Telecom FC.

The season opening tournament will take place July 9^th-21^st at the Azam Complex in Chamazi and KMC Stadium in Kinondoni.

Baraka Kizuguto, the CECAFA Football Development Director who conducted the draw at the Azam studio said they expect a very competitive tournament since teams will be preparing for the CAF competitions that start in August.

Group B has Tanzanian side Coastal Union FC, Al Wadi FC (Sudan), JKU SC (Zanzibar) and Somalia’s Dekedaha FC. Group C which looks very tough on paper has two former champions SC Villa (Uganda), Apr FC (Rwanda), Singida Black Stars FC (Tanzania) and Al Merriekh Bentiu (South Sudan).

The last time the regional tournament was held in 2021 in Dar es Salaam, Uganda’s Express Fc beat Nyasa Big Bullets FC from Malawi 1-0.

Group A

Coast Union FC, Al Wadi FC, JKU SC, Dekedaha FC

Group B

Al Hilal, Gor Mahia FC, Red Arrows FC, Djibouti Telecom FC

Group C

SC Villa, APR FC, Singida Black Stars FC, El Merriekh Bentiu