Kawempe Muslim Ladies FC are under no illusions about the challenge awaiting them in Cairo, but the Ugandan champions are not travelling to the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League to make up the numbers. They want to compete, make history and, if everything goes according to plan, bring the trophy home.
On Monday, November 2, 2026, Kawempe Muslim will walk onto the pitch at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, for a moment they have worked towards for years. Their opponents will be Moroccan giants AS FAR Rabat, the defending champions and one of the most successful clubs in African women’s football.
It is a difficult Group B opening assignment for a team making its maiden appearance at the competition. But if the words of head coach Ayub Khalifa Kiyingi and captain Shakira Nyinagahirwa are anything to go by, Kawempe Muslim are not travelling with fear. They are travelling with belief.
For the first time, a Ugandan club has reached this stage of the CAF Women’s Champions League, and the CECAFA champions are determined to show that they belong among Africa’s best.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Khalifa was confident that his players would rise to the occasion despite the team’s lack of experience at this level.
“We are coming in this championship for the very first time, but very confident that we are going to have a good game, a good competition, and we expect to be among the teams that are going to perform well,” he said.
Captain Shakira shared the same feeling, explaining that the players are excited about the opportunity and ready to make the most of their first appearance.
“This is our first time here and we are extremely happy, ready to compete and harvest good results,” she said.
A first appearance, but no fear of expectations
Being first-timers at the competition comes with expectations, particularly after Kawempe Muslim won the CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers in Rwanda to earn their place in Egypt.
They are not only representing their club and Uganda but also carrying the hopes of East African football followers who want to see a regional side make a strong impression on the continental stage.
For Khalifa, however, that responsibility is something to embrace rather than worry about.
Asked whether the expectations surrounding the team could put his players under pressure, the coach was quick to dismiss the suggestion.
“One, it is not pressure. My side is a motivation. When you look at the level of the girls that are here, they are actually motivated to be where they are. And this gives them a platform that they want to perform and showcase their talents.
“So, at this level, coming as champions of the CECAFA region, expectations are very, very high from the teams we left behind, and they want us to represent them, ably and we are going to do it,” Khalifa added.
Shakira also believes that representing Uganda and East Africa on such a big stage should inspire the players to give their best.
“Honestly, it is not a pressure at all. It is a motivation to actually perform here. We are representing a big number of people from home and East Africa at large, we are going to do our best to showcase our talents because this is a big stage,” she said.
It is a message that reflects the mood in the Kawempe Muslim camp. They know what awaits them, but they also understand what this opportunity means for their club and the region.
Khalifa: Let AS FAR worry about defending their crown
If there is one thing Khalifa does not want his players to do, it is to be intimidated by the reputation of AS FAR.
The Moroccan side comes into the tournament as defending champions, having won the title in 2022 and 2025. They are experienced, well-organised and accustomed to playing at this level.
But Khalifa believes that being champions also comes with its own burden.
He expects AS FAR to feel the weight of defending their title, while Kawempe Muslim have the freedom and determination to challenge them.
“We are going to have a tough game, that is very sure. But I know pressure is so much going to shift to the defending champion because for them, they have something they need to defend.
“For us, we are fighting to remove what they want to defend from them. Meaning, it is not a pressure and it’s up to them to find a way to handle us,” he said.
The Kawempe Muslim coach went further, insisting that his players are ready to take the fight to the Moroccan champions.
“But for us, we are very ready to be thrown at them. So that we can become the champion this year.”
It is certainly a bold message ahead of a meeting against one of Africa’s most established women’s clubs, but the Kawempe Muslim camp believes that their CECAFA success has prepared them for this kind of challenge.
Shakira also acknowledged the quality of the opposition but made it clear that her team is not going into the game simply to admire the defending champions.
“It’s going to be a different game since we are playing the defending Champions but we are ready. We are playing the best team in Morocco since we are also the CECAFA Champions, we are going to do our best to win the game,” she said.
AS FAR are a team built for this stage
While Kawempe Muslim have every reason to be confident, they will need a special performance to overcome AS FAR.
The Moroccan giants have won the CAF Women’s Champions League twice, first in 2022 and again in 2025, when they defeated ASEC Mimosas 2-1 in the final.
Monday’s encounter will be their sixth consecutive appearance at the competition. In fact, AS FAR have never missed a tournament since its inception, making them one of the most experienced sides in the competition. Their experience also goes beyond African football.
Earlier this year, they participated in the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, where they faced some of the world’s leading clubs, including Arsenal, NJ/NY Gotham FC and China’s Wuhan Jiangda.
Those encounters offered valuable exposure to different styles of play and elite tactical approaches, something that further strengthens their credentials as favourites to retain their continental crown.
Under head coach Hicham El Idrissi, AS FAR have built their game around tactical discipline, a compact defence and quick, effective transitions.
They also have the advantage of a stable squad that combines experienced internationals with exciting emerging talent.
The Players to watch
Among the players Kawempe Muslim will need to keep an eye on is forward Nadia Latifah and Nouhaila Benzina
Both players have huge experience and an eye for goal which makes them AS FAR’s biggest attacking weapons.
The Moroccan side also has goalkeeper El Jebraoui, whose experience between the posts gives the defending champions added security.
Kawempe Muslim, on the other hand, will be looking towards their own attacking threats to cause problems for the Moroccan defence.
Captain Shakira Nyinagahirwa, Jovia Nakagolo, rising star Agnes Nabukenya and key attacking contributor Latifah Nakasi will be among the players expected to lead the charge.
For the Ugandans, the challenge will be to remain organised, take their chances and avoid giving AS FAR the freedom to dictate the game.
Against a side with such experience, concentration over the entire 90 minutes could make all the difference.
Khalifa has bigger dreams than just making history
For Khalifa, getting Kawempe Muslim to this level is already a major personal and professional achievement. But the coach is not satisfied with simply reaching the competition.
He wants to make a name for himself, take his team further and achieve something no coach from his region has achieved before.
Speaking about what has helped him stand out as a coach, Khalifa explained that his focus has always been on finding ways to improve both himself and the team.
“Every time I’m in this game, I look at what can put my team in a better position, what can put me in a better position. So everything I try to do, I try to handle. I look at it, how best can I be seen, how best can the team be seen.
“So I’m moving the girls who are really very determined to see that they actually perform well. To my side as a coach, I think this is an achievement, having moved to this level,” he explained.
He also spoke about his desire to go beyond the achievements of others who have represented his region at the highest level.
“And my target is, I mean, can I make a change from those ones who have come from my region, performed, reached a certain level. I’m saying, can I go beyond where they reached, so that at least I become the first person to take this trophy.”
It is an ambition that says a lot about the mindset within the Kawempe Muslim camp. The coach is thinking beyond participation, beyond the group stage and even beyond the first historic appearance.
He wants the trophy.
And he wants his players to believe that it is possible.
A message to Uganda and CECAFA family
Away from the technical preparations and tactical discussions, Khalifa had a special message for the people following Kawempe Muslim’s journey.
He urged supporters back home and across the CECAFA region to believe in the team, stand behind the players and keep them in their prayers.
“To all those people who are following Kawempe Ladies Football Club, I want to assure you that we have come to compete. The participation is there, but we have come to compete. We are in for this trophy, which trophy we are very optimistic we want to touch it.
“As our big fans out there in CECAFA, I want you to believe in us, to pray for us, so that at least as we leave this place, we are the champions,” Khalifa concluded.
Those words capture the ambition driving the Ugandan side as they prepare for their biggest test yet.
Group B: No easy games in Cairo
Kawempe Muslim have been drawn in Group B alongside AS FAR Rabat, Mali’s USFAS Bamako and Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies.
Their opening assignment against AS FAR is followed by encounters with USFAS Bamako and Ampem Darkoa, meaning there will be little room for mistakes if the Ugandans are to progress.
AS FAR will also face the same two opponents as they seek to navigate the group stage and move closer to another continental title.
The Moroccan champions will take confidence from their previous meeting with USFAS Bamako, whom they defeated 2-0 last year.
That result, coupled with their experience and quality, makes them one of the strongest contenders to progress from the group.
However, Kawempe Muslim will be hoping to use their CECAFA-winning experience to compete against all three opponents and prove that East African football can stand alongside the continent’s established powers.
More than $600,000 and a continental title
There is plenty at stake in the 2026 edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Apart from the prestige of becoming African champions, the eventual winners will take home a $600,000 cash prize.
The champions will also earn direct qualification to Round Two of the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, where they are scheduled to face North Korea’s Naegohyang WFC in December 2026.
The final phase of that competition will take place in Miami, USA, providing another opportunity for the African champions to test themselves against international opposition.
Retaining the trophy for AS FAR would further cement their place among Africa’s leading women’s clubs.
On paper, AS FAR have the experience, the history and the continental pedigree. They have been here before, won this competition twice and know exactly what it takes to reach the top.
Kawempe Muslim, meanwhile, are newcomers with a point to prove but football is not always decided by reputation. It is decided on the pitch, and that is where the Ugandans believe they can make their statement.
Past Winners
● 2025 : AS FAR (Morocco)
● 2024 : Tout Puissant Mazembe (Democratic Republic of Congo)
● 2023 : Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
● 2022 : AS FAR (Morocco)
● 2021 : Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)