Six teams from the CECAFA Zone have advanced to the second preliminary round of the 2025/2026 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup.

Zanzibar’s KMKM SC and Dekedaha FC (Somalia) wrote their won history when they made it to the next stage.

KMKM SC ejected Djibouti’s AS Port 4-2 on aggregate to qualify for the next round for the first time in the club history, while Dekedaha FC from Somalia for a second season running advanced to the next stage after seeing off Al Zamala (Sudan).

Azam FC handled by experienced Florent Ibenge also humbled South Sudan’s El Merriekh SC Bentiu 4-0 on aggregate, and will now face KMKM SC in the second preliminary round.

Fresh from winning the regional CECAFA Kagame Cup, Singida Black Stars FC also swept Rwanda’s Rayon Sports FC 3-1 on aggregate to advance to the next stage where they will face Flambeu du Centre.

The Burundi Premier League side stopped Al Akhdar FC 2-1 in the first leg, and went on to hold the Libyan side to a 2-2 draw in the return leg played in Benghazi.

Nairobi United FC also eased past Uganda’s NEC FC after the two sides tied 3-3 on aggregate, but the Kenyan side advanced on more goals scored away from home.

Nairobi Stars FC will now face Etoile du Sahel in the second preliminary round after the Tunisian side ejected Sudan’s Al Ahli Madani.

The first leg matches of the second preliminary round will be played October 17-19, while the return legs take centre stage October 24-26^th, 2025.

Tanzania Premier League sides Azam FC and Singida Black Stars FC collected away wins in the first leg first preliminary round matches of the 2025/2026 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup.

Fresh from winning the CECAFA Kagame Cup, Singida Black Stars FC stopped Rayon Sports FC 1-0 in a match played in Kigali on Saturday.

Marouf Tchakei netted the lone goal after 20 minutes in a match that saw the two teams create numerous scoring opportunities.

At the Juba National Stadium, Azam FC under the guidance of new coach Florent Ibenge picked a comfortable 2-0 win against El Merriekh SC Bentiu.

Attacking midfielder Toto Faisal Salum scored after 28 minutes, and DR Congo import Jephte Kitambala made it 2-0 after 68 minutes.

“We are happy to come here and win the match with two goals. We now have to work hard and plan for the return leg,” said the experienced Ibenge after the match.

Burundi’s Flambeau du Centre also picked a 2-1 win against visiting Al Akhdar FC (Libya) in Bujumbura.

Papel Ary gave the visitors the lead in the first half, while Asmani Amissi and David Irishura scored in the second half to ensure the home side registered a win infront of their fans.

In the other matches played by teams from the CECAFA Zone, Ethiopia’s Welayta Dicha FC settled for a goalless draw against Al-Ittihad (Libya) in Addis Ababa.

Making their debut in continental Football, Uganda’s NEC FC also settled for a 2-2 draw against Nairobi United (Kenya) in a match played at the Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo in Kampala.

Action continues on Sunday with Somalia’s Dekedda Fc facing Zamala Ruwaba (Sudan), while AS du Port (Djibouti) face KMKM SC from Zanzibar.

Simba SC have bagged $1 million after settling for second place in the 2024/2025 Total Energies CAF Confederation Cup.

After losing the first leg 2-0 away to Morocco’s RS Berkane, the Tanzania Premier League side put up a gallant show to draw 1-1 in the return leg played at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar on Sunday to loose 3-1 on aggregate.

Simba SC started on a high attacking in numbers and dominating play before taking the lead after 17 minutes. A well delivered assist by Elie Mpanzu was enough for Joshua Mutale to score and send the fans wild.

The Tanzanian side continued to press the Moroccan side with Ugandan International Steven Mukwala and right full back Shomari Kapombe keeping their defenders busy.

After recess Simba SC’s Yusuph Kagoma was sent off after 55 minutes after picking a second yellow card. The card gave the visitors as advantage. But Simba SC thought they had scored a second goal through Mukwala, but the VAR ruled it offside.

With the clock ticking away Soumaila Sidibe leveled matters for RS Berkane with a low drive to beat Simba SC goalkeeper Moussa Camara.

It was all celebration for the Moroccan side after the final whistle, while Simba SC will also smile away with a $1 million cash prize, while the winners take $2 million.

Another Tanzanian Premier League side Young Africans SC suffered defeat to USM Alger in the final of the 2022/2023 TotalEnergies CAf Confederations Cup.

The head coach of Simba SC Fadlu Davids has said his is still optimistic his team can tur tables when they face RS Berkane in the return leg of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup final.

RS Berkane, the newly crowned Morocco Premier League champions defeated Simba SC 2-0 in the first leg of the final played at the Berkane Municipal Stadium on Saturday evening.

Mamadou Camara nodded in the opening goal after 8 minutes off a Hamza El Moussaoui corner, while Oussama Lamlaoui doubled Berkane’s lead six minutes later.

Simba SC were unlucky when Abdulrazack Hamza limped off injured before the interval. Leonel Ateba and Elie Mpanzu both came close to finding goals for the Tanzanian Premier League side, but the home side stood firm.

However, the Simba SC coach Fadlu Davids has made it clear that they still have a chance in the return leg on May 25^th.

“The final is played over two legs and we have a chance to get back to the drawing board and plan better. We conceded two early goals which put us on a back footing, but I am optimistic we can still perform better in the return leg,” added the coach.

Simba SC, finalists in this competition back in 1993 will be eager to ink a new record when they host the Moroccan team in the return leg of the final.