KIGALI, RWANDA — After a highly anticipated seven-year absence, the premier regional club championship of East and Central Africa is officially back in Rwanda. The 2026 CECAFA Kagame Cup kicked off on Friday, July 24, and will run through August 7 in the capital city of Kigali. Featuring 12 of the region’s top teams battling for supremacy, the tournament is already delivering early drama, stunning performances, and fierce competition for the US$60,000 prize pool.
High Stakes and Regional Prestige
The champions of this year’s edition will take home a US$30,000 cash prize, with US$20,000 and US$10,000 going to the runners-up and third-place finishers, respectively. With matches currently broadcasting live across the region on Azam TV and the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), the tournament serves as a critical proving ground for clubs preparing for their upcoming CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup campaigns.
Tournament Format and Group Draws
The 12 participating clubs have been divided into three highly competitive groups of four. The path to glory is narrow: only the winner of each group, joined by the single best-performing runner-up across all three groups, will advance straight to the semi-finals.
The groups are drawn as follows:
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Group A: APR FC (Rwanda), Vipers SC (Uganda), Gor Mahia FC (Kenya), FC Garde Républicaine (Djibouti)
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Group B: Singida Black Stars (Tanzania), Simba SC (Tanzania), Jamus SC (South Sudan), Mogadishu City Club (Somalia)
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Group C: Al Hilal SC (Sudan), Rayon Sports FC (Rwanda), Tusker FC (Kenya), KVZ SC (Zanzibar)
Tournament Note: Kenya’s Tusker FC was drafted in by the CECAFA Secretariat as a late replacement in Group C after Sudanese giants El Merreikh SC were forced to withdraw due to domestic league delays.
Opening Match Results: Statement Wins and Stunning Upsets
The opening matchdays delivered immediate fireworks, setting a high tempo for the remainder of the competition.
Group A: Gor Mahia Humiliates Co-Hosts; Vipers SC Cruise
Kenyan champions Gor Mahia FC sent shockwaves through Amahoro Stadium with a ruthless 5–0 demolition of tournament co-hosts APR FC. The stunning shutout victory propelled K’Ogalo to the top of Group A on goal difference, proving they are early favorites for the title.
Uganda’s reigning champions, Vipers SC, also made a commanding start to their campaign. Inspired by a clinical first-half brace from former Uganda Cranes international Farouk Miya, the Vipers secured a comfortable 3–0 win over Djibouti’s FC Garde Républicaine.
Group B: South Sudanese Debutants Stun Defending Champions
In what will go down as one of the biggest shocks of the tournament so far, South Sudan’s Jamus SC pulled off a massive 2–0 upset victory against the defending champions, Tanzania’s Singida Black Stars. The debutants showed incredible grit to silence the titleholders.
Elsewhere in the group, six-time champions Simba SC made their much-anticipated return to the regional competition but were held to a gritty 0–0 draw by Somalia’s determined Mogadishu City Club.
