Boys

Pool A: Ruhango, Gihisi, YDC, Gisagara

Pool B: Muhanga, Olympa, Winners, Mugandamure

Pool C: Amagaju Youth, Huye, Rusizi, Umurabyo

Girls

Mutara, Gatagara, Nyanza, Mutunda

After a successful run in the Eastern Province last weekend, the Airtel Rising Stars (ARS) head to the Southern Province with preliminaries matches in the boys’ and girls’ categories scheduled to be played today and tomorrow.

Twenty-eight matches in total will be played over two days and sixteen teams, 12 boys’ and 4 in girls category will be vying for one slot available for the national level semi-finals in either gender.

EAV Kabutare grounds will host Pool A matches, Pool B will use OPDI stadium, Pool C will be hosted in Nyamagabe while the girls will be play at ES Mutunda playgrounds. The semi-finals and finals will be hosted in Nyamagabe on Sunday.

All teams will play against each other on a round-robin basis with pool leaders and the best runners-up qualifying for Sunday’s semi-finals while top two teams in girls’ category will automatically qualify for the final of the South Province zone.

The ongoing Airtel Rising Stars youth football championship is the third edition since its inauguration in 2013. The second was held last year and won by Gatsibo and AS Kigali in boys’ and girls’ respectively.

Last Sunday, Gatsibo Football Academy and Abarashi Girls academy also from Gatsibo district booked tickets for semi-finals on the national level after winning titles of the Eastern Province beating Kayonza and Agasozo Shalom in the final.