Friday July 24, 2026 – Amahoro stadium, Kigali
- Vipers vs Garde Republicaine 4pm
- APR vs Gor Mahia 8pm
Vipers target victory when they face Djibouti’s Garde Republicaine in the opening match of the 2026 Cecafa Kagame Cup at Amahoro stadium in Kigali, Rwanda.
However, their new head coach Denis Lavagne speaking at a pre-match press conference admitted that the team is not 100-percent ready but that will be no excuse.
“We are not ready 100% and for us, the season starts on August 23 when we play the Super Cup in Uganda,” the French man started.
“But the CECAFA tournament is very good preparation for us and we have to do our best to win every game when we play,” he added.
With new additions to the club and the club’s main target come next season being defending the league and also play in the Caf Champions League group stages, the former Cameroon head coach will use the tournament to assess his players.
“We have to manage the time of the players in the game. I don’t want players to play too much and get injuries.
“We are using this tournament to prepare for the season, but we have to win to start the season with a winning feeling.”
New signings Joel Sserunjogi, Loyce Mbamba, Ceaser Manzoki and Farouk Miya could all get their debuts.
The Venoms will look to emulate former Kagame Cup winners from Uganda – SC Villa (3), KCCA (2), Express (1) and Police (1).
In the same group A, giants APR and Gor Mahia face off later on the day at the same stadium.
With only one team assured of a place in the semis, victory is important on match day one.
Rwanda President Paul Kagame funds the tournament in terms of prize money with the winner bagging $ 30,000, runners up $ 20,000 and third placed team taking home $ 10,000.
Express are the latest team to lift the championship but KCCA won it in Kigali in 2019.
