CECAFA Kagame Cup Fixtures
Semifinals – Tuesday, August 4 (Kigali Pele Stadium)
Gor Mahia vs Al Hilal, 4:00pm
Jamus SC vs Rayon Sports, 8:00pm
Final – Friday, August 7
Amahoro Stadium, Kigali
Kigali, Rwanda: Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan has been appointed to officiate the 2026 CECAFA Kagame Cup final scheduled for Friday, August 7, at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
The appointment was confirmed by the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) ahead of Tuesday’s semifinal matches.
Artan, one of Africa’s highly regarded match officials, will be assisted by Djibouti’s Liban Abdulrazack and Kenya’s Eliezer Stephen Yiembe.
The final assignment comes just days before the officiating trio travels to Salzburg, Austria, for the UEFA Super Cup on August 12. Artan recently made international headlines after initially being denied entry into the United States ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup before later being appointed to officiate the UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.
Attention now turns to Tuesday’s semifinal clashes at Kigali Pele Stadium, where Kenyan champions Gor Mahia face Sudan’s Al Hilal at 4:00pm before hosts Rayon Sports take on South Sudan’s surprise package Jamus SC at 8:00pm.
Gor Mahia have been among the tournament’s standout performers, highlighted by an emphatic 5-0 victory over APR in the group stage, while Al Hilal advanced as the best second-placed team after finishing behind Rayon Sports.
Hosts Rayon Sports enter the semifinals with a perfect record after winning all their group matches. However, they face a confident Jamus SC side that has emerged as the competition’s biggest surprise, having eliminated defending champions Singida Black Stars and topped their group.
Vipers bow out despite strong campaign
Uganda’s representatives Vipers SC have exited the tournament after narrowly missing a place in the last four.
The Venoms finished second in their group with six points, registering victories over Garde Républicaine (3-0) and Gor Mahia (1-0) before suffering a 1-0 defeat to hosts APR in their final group match. Defender Kevin Dasylva Bady was sent off during the loss.
Although Vipers accumulated the same number of points as Sudan’s Al Hilal, they missed out on qualification on goal difference after Rayon Sports defeated Al Hilal 1-0 to secure top spot in their group, leaving the Sudanese champions as the tournament’s best second-placed team.
Coach Denis Lavagne’s side will now turn its attention to preparations for the FUFA Super Cup, the 2026/27 Uganda Premier League season and the preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League.
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