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The CECAFA Kagame Cup is set to return to Tanzania this year, with the regional club tournament scheduled to take place from July 20 to August 4, 2024.

Organized under the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), the tournament promises to provide an essential preseason platform for teams gearing up for the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League, CAF Confederations Cup, and domestic leagues.

Gor Mahia who are on course to secure the 21st FKF Premier League title are set to represent Kenya.

CECAFA Kagame Cup

John Auka Gecheo, the CECAFA Executive Director, has confirmed that alongside the premier league champions from the 12 Member Associations, including Zanzibar, the tournament will also feature guest sides to add excitement to the competition.

“We are glad that this tournament will be returning after two years to provide a brilliant preseason platform for the teams to prepare better before the start of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League, CAF Confederations Cup and the different Leagues back home,” Gecheo revealed.

Express FC from Uganda emerged victorious in the previous tournament held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 2021, defeating guest side Nyasa Big Bullets from Malawi with a 1-0 scoreline.

Tanzania’s Simba SC boast the most CECAFA Kagame Cup titles with six, followed closely by Young Africans SC (Tanzania) and Tusker FC (Kenya) with five each.

Other prominent teams with multiple wins include APR FC (Rwanda), Al Merriekh (Sudan), SC Villa (Uganda), and Gor Mahia FC (Kenya).

In 2023, the CECAFA Kagame Cup was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts with the busy CAF/FIFA calendar.

However, CECAFA’s decision to designate Zanzibar as the host for the 2024 CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup brings a renewed sense of excitement.

CECAFA senior Challenge

The Senior Challenge Cup, akin to a World Cup for Zanzibar, is anticipated to bolster the region’s football scene and potentially enhance their chances of qualifying for AFCON.

Zanzibar has also been granted hosting rights for the CAF Africa Schools Football Championship CECAFA Zonal qualifiers, further solidifying its role as a hub for football development in the region.

Other CECAFA Zonal qualifiers are slated to take place in Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, encompassing various age groups and genders to foster grassroots football growth across East and Central Africa.

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