KIGALI — Rayon Sports ended a 28-year wait for the CECAFA Kagame Cup on Friday, beating Kenya’s Gor Mahia 2-1 in the final at Amahoro Stadium.
The victory gave the Rwandan club its second title in the regional competition, after its first triumph in 1998.
Rayon Sports had gone nearly three decades without lifting the trophy. The 2026 title also carries another distinction: it is the club’s first CECAFA Kagame Cup title since the competition was rebranded in 2002 after President Paul Kagame became its sponsor.
The final brought together two of East Africa’s most established clubs.
Gor Mahia entered the tournament as one of the region’s most experienced sides. The Kenyan club has won the competition three times, in 1980, 1981 and 1985.
Rayon Sports, playing in front of a home crowd at Amahoro Stadium, took the lead through Cameroonian forward Junior Kameni.
Daniel Muhoza then scored Rayon’s second goal to put the Rwandan side in control.
Gor Mahia pulled one back, setting up a tense finish, but Rayon Sports held on to secure the regional title.
The triumph caps an impressive run for a Rayon Sports side that entered the tournament with a largely revamped squad under coach Francis Haringingo.
The club had already shown its attacking potential before the tournament. In July, it beat Gor Mahia 2-0 during the annual Rayon Day celebrations at Kigali Pelé Stadium, with Atisso Kodjo and Fabio Nkundimana scoring.
Rayon also opened its Kagame Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Zanzibar’s KVZ.
Kameni scored from the penalty spot in that match before Muhoza added the second goal. The victory immediately established the pair as important figures in Rayon’s campaign.
Muhoza, who joined Rayon Sports from Etoile de l’Est during the current transfer window, scored his first competitive goal for the club against KVZ.
The tournament brought together 12 clubs from East and Central Africa, divided into three groups. The group winners and the best second-placed team advanced to the semifinals.
Rwanda was represented by Rayon Sports and league champions APR FC.
For Rayon Sports, the title ends a long regional drought and adds another major trophy to the club’s history.
The club’s previous CECAFA triumph came in 1998, when Rayon defeated Zanzibar’s Mlandege 2-1 in the final.
The 2026 victory also gives Rwanda another regional title on home soil, with the competition returning to the country for the first time since 2019.
For Rayon Sports supporters, however, the significance is simpler: after 28 years, the trophy is back in blue.
