Rwanda Premier League reigning champions APR FC have made a false start in the 2025/2026 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Going into the first leg first preliminary match at the Kigali Pele Stadium against the defending champions Pyramids FC on Wednesday, the home side needed to secure a good result before the return leg in Cairo.

But the visiting Egyptian Premier League side ensured they picked a comfortable 2-0 win.

DR Congo forward Fiston Mayele scored in each half to silence the home crowd.

After a goalless first half where the two teams had some missed scoring chances, Mayele beat the APR defending line to send a low shot past goalkeeper Pierre Ishimwe.

APR FC brought the fresh legs of Mamadou Sy and Ugandan International Dennis Omedi, bit to no avail as the Pyramids FC defenders stood firm.

With the clock ticking away Mayele capitalized on a mistimed clearance by the APR FC defenders and raced in the box to score to make it 2-0 after 86 minutes.

APR FC now face a tall order when the two teams face-off again in the return leg on October 8^th in Cairo.

All the other first preliminary matches have been decided apart form the one between Pyramids FC and APR, and the one involving Saint-Eloi Lupopo and Sudan’s El Merriekh.

Burundi’s Premier League reigning champions Aigle Noir C.S will face giants Al Ahly in the second qualifying round of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Aigle Noir ejected Djibouti’s ASAS on away goals’ rule after a 1-1 draw on aggregate in the first preliminary round.

It will be the first time that Aigle Noir play in that stage and will host the Egyptian side Al Ahly in the renovated National Stadium in Bujumbura next month in the first round.

Tanzania’s Simba SC who ejected Gaborone United (Botswana) 2-1 on aggregate will face Nsingizini Hotspurs Fc in the second qualifying round. The Eswatini side saw off Simba Bhora FC from Zimbabwe 3-0 on aggregate.

Kenya Police FC who lost the return leg 2-0 to Mogadishu City FC, but qualified on more goals scored away rule after the two team’s ties 3-3, will face Sudan’s Al Hilal SC in the next round.

After settling for a goalless draw in the first leg against South Sudan’s Jamus SC, Al Hilal managed to win the return leg 1-0 with Claude Jean Girumugisha scoring the lone goal in a match played at the New Amaan Stadium on Zanzibar on Sunday.

Tanzania giants Young Africans SC who ejected Wiliete FC 3-0 on aggregate will fancy their chances of making it to the group stage when they face Malawi’s Silver Strikers FC in the second preliminary round.

Uganda Premier League champions Vipers SC who played in the group stage in the 2022/2023 season will take on Power Dynamos FC in the second preliminary round. The Zambian ejected ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast) during penalty shoot-outs after a 1-1 draw on aggregate.

Ethiopian Insurance FC who eliminated Mlandege SC (Zanzibar) 4-3 on aggregate will also face the winner between Rwanda’s APR FC (Rwanda) and defending champions Pyramids FC (Egypt).

Meanwhile Sudan’s El Merriekh lost 1-0 to Saint-Eloi Lupopo in the first leg of the first preliminary round, while APR FC will host Pyramids on October 1^st in Kigali.

New comers Jamus SC have held Sudan giants Al Hilal SC to a goalless draw in the first leg of the first preliminary round of the 2025/2026 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

The South Sudan Premier League champions were making their first appearance in Africa’s biggest Club competition.

New signing Jude Ssemugabi from Uganda started for Jamus SC and kept the Al Hilal SC defenders on their toes at the Juba National Stadium in a match played on Sunday.

After 22 minutes the Ugandan International thought he would earn a penalty after an Al Hilal SC defender entangled with him in the box, but the referee waved otherwise.

Shabani Kagayo thought he had put Jamus SC ahead when he beat Al Hilal SC goalkeeper Soufiane Farid after 44 minutes, but a defender was on time to clear the line.

In the second half Al Hilal SC pushed forward and dictated the flow of the match with Ahmed Salem and Jean Claude Girumugisha causing the Jamus SC defenders all sorts of challenges.

Jamus SC cheered on by the local fans absorbed the pressure by Al Hilal SC as the match ended goalless. The return leg at the New Amaam Stadium in Zanzibar on September 28^th.

Laurentiu Aurelian Reghecampf, the Al Hilal SC coach said that his team did not play really well. “We did not control the match well. We must improve ahead of the return leg,” he added.

In another match played in the CECAFA Zone, Burundi’s Aigle Noir were held to a goalless draw by ASAS Telecom from Djibouti. On Saturday Ethiopian Insurance picked a 2-0 win against Mlandege FC (Zanzibar), while Kenya Police FC defeated Mogadishu City Club SC 3-1 in Nairobi. Tanzania Premier League side Simba SC also picked an important 1-0 away win against Botswana’s Gaborone United.

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 preliminary 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.