Ugandan football giants Vipers SC have arrived in Kigali ahead of their participation in the 2026 CECAFA Kagame Cup, joining regional clubs competing for one of East and Central Africa’s most prestigious football titles.
Vipers landed in Rwanda on Wednesday morning as they prepare for their Group A fixtures, where they will face Rwanda’s APR FC, Djibouti’s Garde Republicaine and Kenya’s Gor Mahia FC.
The Ugandan champions will begin their tournament campaign against Garde Republicaine on Friday, July 24, at Amahoro Stadium, with the match scheduled to kick off at 3:00pm. The fixture will also serve as the opening game of this year’s competition.
Coached by French tactician Denis Lavagne, Vipers arrived with a squad of 24 players, including newly re-signed attacking players Farouk Miya and Cesar Manzoki.
The squad also includes players who have previously featured in the Rwanda Premier League, such as Ndahiro Derrick, Ashraf Mandela and Chukuma Odili, who all had spells with Police FC.
Following their opening match, Vipers will take on Kenya’s Gor Mahia at Kigali Pele Stadium on July 27 at 6:00pm before concluding their group-stage campaign against APR FC on July 30 at Amahoro Stadium at 8:00pm.
Vipers SC enters the tournament as Uganda Premier League champions but will be seeking a breakthrough in the CECAFA Kagame Cup, having never won the regional competition or reached the final.
The club will be aiming to make a strong impression in Kigali as it looks to challenge some of the region’s top teams for the 2026 title.
