The newly crowned Uganda Premier League champions Vipers SC are set to compete in the 2026 CECAFA Kagame Cup.
The decision marks a significant return to the regional stage for the Venoms as they plan on sharing the table with the East and Central Africa’s elite clubs.
The tournament works as a perfect test for these clubs ahead of the continental engagements later on in the year.
The prestigious tournament will be staged in Kigali, Rwanda, running from July 18 to August 9, 2026. The regional championship is considered a crucial testing ground for clubs preparing for the challenging CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup seasons.
CECAFA Competitions Manager Yusuf Mossi highlighted how the tournament sharpens the region’s heavyweight teams:
“We have organised this competition in the past years and it has greatly helped teams prepare well. Last year, we saw Sudan’s Al Hilal reach the quarter-final stage of the CAF Champions League after finishing third in the CECAFA Kagame Cup held in Tanzania.”
The tournament is expected to feature several clubs, including APR FC and Rayon Sports from Rwanda, Gor Mahia from Kenya, Young Africans and Simba SC from Tanzania, El Merriekh SC Bentiu from South Sudan, and the prominent Sudanese teams Al Hilal and El Merriekh SC.
League champions from Somalia and Ethiopia are expected to participate, and CECAFA plans to invite an additional guest team from outside the region.
