The 2025 edition of Umurenge Kagame Cup will conclude this weekend in Musanze District, with national finals scheduled across multiple sports disciplines from Saturday, June 14, to Sunday, June 15. The annual grassroots tournament, which started in January, brought together all 416 sectors across Rwanda. Competitions were held in football, basketball, volleyball, and sitball, with the goal of promoting community sports, talent identification, and social cohesion. ALSO READ: Rubengera, Murunda crowned Umurenge Kagame Cup 2024 champions Following zonal and provincial qualifiers, quarterfinals were staged in Huye District on June 1, and the semifinals are set for Saturday, ahead of the national finals on Sunday. Football semifinals were played earlier on May 27. In the men’s category, Jabana Sector (Gasabo District) beat Kimonyi (Musanze) 3-1, while Mbazi (Huye) came from behind to defeat Bwishyura (Karongi) 2-1. In the women’s category, Kacyiru Sector (Gasabo) saw off Gahara (Kirehe) 2-0, and Mahembe (Nyamasheke) eliminated Murunda (Rutsiro) by the same scoreline. Third place matches in both the men’s and women’s categories will take place on Saturday, followed by the national finals on Sunday. Semifinal matchups in team sports In basketball, volleyball, and sitball, the top two teams from each group advanced to the semifinals. Group winners face runners-up from the opposite group. Basketball - men Rutsiro (Group A winner) vs. Kicukiro (Group B runner-up) Musanze (Group B winner) vs. Kayonza (Group A runner-up) Basketball - women Musanze (Group A winner) vs. Nyamagabe (Group B runner-up)Kamonyi (Group B winner) vs. Kayonza (Group A runner-up) Volleyball - men Ngoma (Group A winner) vs. Rutsiro (Group B runner-up) Kicukiro (Group B winner) vs. Nyanza (Group A runner-up) Volleyball - women Gicumbi (Group A winner) vs. Kayonza (Group B runner-up) Ngoma (Group B winner) vs. Rusizi (Group A runner-up) Sitball - men (played in Gisagara) Kirehe (Group A winner) vs. Gasabo (Group B runner-up) Musanze (Group B winner) vs. Rubavu (Group A runner-up) Sitball - women Gicumbi (Group A winner) vs. Kirehe (Group B runner-up) Bugesera (Group B winner) vs. Rubavu (Group A runner-up) Launched to boost grassroots sports and empower youth through organized competitions, the Umurenge Kagame Cup is one of the largest annual tournaments in the country. It is organised under the Ministry of Local Government and Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) in collaboration with respective sports federations. This year’s edition has seen record participation and is expected to close with a weekend of high-level competition in Musanze.
