Rayon Sports Women could still have a route to the CAF Women’s Champions League if Rwanda is awarded hosting rights for the final tournament, despite the club’s early elimination from the CECAFA qualifiers.
Rayon Sports’ hopes of qualifying through the regional route ended after the Rwandan champions failed to advance from their group in the CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA qualifiers.
However, reports that CAF is considering Rwanda as a potential host for the final tournament could open another path for the club.
The CAF Women’s Champions League final tournament features eight teams. Six places are secured through the six regional qualifying competitions, while the defending champions and the host association’s representative complete the lineup. CAF has confirmed that the 2026 zonal qualifiers are being used to determine the teams that will join defending champions AS FAR in the final tournament.
If Rwanda is selected to host the finals, the country would be expected to have a representative. Rayon Sports would be the natural candidate as the reigning Rwanda Women’s Super League champions.
The club represented Rwanda in this year’s CECAFA qualifiers, which were hosted in Kigali. Rayon Sports won one of its group matches but were ultimately eliminated after a 1-1 draw with South Sudan’s Yei Joint Stars.
The early exit ended Rayon Sports’ direct route to the continental finals, but a potential hosting slot could revive the club’s hopes of making history.
Rayon Sports have never played in the CAF Women’s Champions League final tournament. If Rwanda secures hosting rights and selects its domestic champions as the representative, the club would make its debut in the competition.
The opportunity would also be significant for Rwanda, which has already hosted the 2026 CECAFA qualifying tournament in Kigali. Ten teams took part in the regional competition, with the tournament running in August.
Rayon Sports had entered the qualifiers after winning the Rwanda Women’s Super League and were seeking to improve on their 2025 regional campaign, when they reached the final.
For now, however, the club’s possible return to the continental competition remains dependent on the outcome of the hosting process.
CAF has not yet officially confirmed Rwanda as host of the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League final tournament. Should the country receive the hosting rights, attention would then turn to which Rwandan club will represent the hosts.
For Rayon Sports, that could provide an unexpected second chance after their disappointing CECAFA campaign—and potentially an historic first appearance in Africa’s top women’s club competition.
