Short-notice invite forces NEC FC out of CECAFA Kagame Cup

Uganda Premier League side NEC FC have officially withdrawn from the ongoing 2025 CECAFA Kagame Cup in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The club, which finished second in the league last season, had initially been invited to take the place of league champions Vipers SC, who declined participation.

However, according to sources, the invitation came on very short notice, leaving NEC with little time to reorganize their schedules.

NEC had been keen on using the regional tournament to fine-tune their preparations for their maiden CAF Confederation Cup appearance. They were drawn in Group B alongside Rwanda’s APR FC, Bumamuru FC of Burundi, and Zanzibar’s Mlandege FC before confirming their withdrawal.

With the Kagame Cup chapter closed, the Kampala-based side will now concentrate fully on continental duty. They will face Nairobi United of Kenya in the CAF Confederation Cup Preliminary Round.

Victory in that tie would see them progress to the second round, where Sudan’s Al Ahly Madani or Tunisia’s Etoile de Sahel await—with a lucrative group-stage slot up for grabs.

On the domestic front, NEC also remain engaged in the FUFA Super 8 tournament. They are gearing up for the return leg against Express FC after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat in the first leg at Lugogo.

Meanwhile, Kagame Cup action is already in full swing. Kenya Police FC kicked off the tournament in style with a resounding 4-0 win over Garde Cotes FC in the opening Group A fixture at the Gen. Isamuhyo Stadium.

Elsewhere, 10-man Ethiopian Coffee SC battled to a goalless stalemate against Tanzania’s Singida Black Stars in the other Group A encounter.

Group B fixtures resume on Wednesday at KMC Stadium, where last year’s finalists APR FC (Rwanda) will face Bumamuru FC (Burundi), before Tanzania’s KMC FC square off with Zanzibar’s Mlandege FC in the day’s late kickoff.

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