The Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) has awarded Rwanda the rights to hosts four regional football tournaments during the 2026 calendar. CECAFA Interim Executive Director Jean Sseninde confirmed that Rwanda and Tanzania will share hosting duties for six competitions scheduled for the 2026 season. Rwanda will first host the CECAFA Kagame Cup 2026 in Kigali from July 18 to August 9. Singida Black Stars won the 2025 edition held in Tanzania in September after defeating Al Hilal in the final. APR FC were the only Rwandan team at the tournament, finishing in third place, with Memel Dao winning the Player of the Tournament award. Besides the Kagame Cup, Rwanda will also host the CAF African Schools Football Championship, the CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers, and the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The country last hosted a CECAFA competition five years ago when it staged the CECAFA U-17 Championship. CECAFA’s member associations include Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zanzibar. Meanwhile, Tanzania will host the CECAFA U-17 Girls Championship from May 30 to June 14, before staging the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers scheduled for September 12 to 27.
