By: Emmanuel Patrick Laku | Sports Hunter South Sudan
The 2023 CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Qualifiers was the third edition of the annual regional women’s club football championship organised by the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA).
The competition was held in Kampala, Uganda, from 12 to 30 August 2023, bringing together the leading women’s clubs from across East and Central Africa as they battled for the region’s qualification slot for the 2023 CAF Women’s Champions League finals in Côte d’Ivoire.
A total of nine clubs from nine CECAFA member associations participated in the tournament, making it the biggest edition at the time.
South Sudan was represented by Yei Joint Stars FC, who made their third consecutive appearance in the regional competition after previous campaigns in 2021 and 2022.
The tournament concluded with Tanzania’s JKT Queens FC winning their first CECAFA Women’s Champions League Qualifiers title after defeating Ethiopia’s Commercial Bank of Ethiopia FC (CBE) on penalties in the final.
Tournament Details
Competition: CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Qualifiers
Edition: 3rd edition
Host Country: Uganda 🇺🇬
Host City: Kampala
Dates: 12–30 August 2023
Teams: 9 clubs from 9 associations
Venues: 2
Champion: JKT Queens FC (Tanzania)
Runner-up: Commercial Bank of Ethiopia FC
Third Place: Buja Queens (Burundi)
Fourth Place: Vihiga Queens FC (Kenya)
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Tournament Statistics
Matches Played: 20
Goals Scored: 55
Average Goals Per Match: 2.75
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Participating Teams
The 2023 qualifiers featured clubs from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zanzibar.
Team Association Appearance Previous Best Performance
Buja Queens Burundi 1st Debut
FAD Club Djibouti 2nd Group Stage (2021)
Commercial Bank of Ethiopia FC Ethiopia 3rd Runners-up (2021)
Vihiga Queens FC Kenya 2nd Champions (2021)
AS Kigali WFC Rwanda 2nd Fourth Place (2022)
Yei Joint Stars FC South Sudan 3rd Group Stage (2021 & 2022)
JKT Queens FC Tanzania 1st Debut
Kampala Queens FC Uganda 1st Debut
New Generation FC Zanzibar 2nd Group Stage (2022)
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South Sudan’s Representatives: Yei Joint Stars FC 🇸🇸
South Sudan champions Yei Joint Stars FC returned for their third straight appearance in the CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Qualifiers.
After competing in the 2021 and 2022 editions, Yei Joint Stars remained the country’s representative at the regional level, gaining valuable experience against some of East Africa’s strongest women’s clubs.
The South Sudanese side was drawn into Group A alongside:
Commercial Bank of Ethiopia FC 🇪🇹
Kampala Queens FC 🇺🇬
FAD Club 🇩🇯
Buja Queens 🇧🇮
Venues
The tournament was hosted in Kampala, Uganda, using two venues.
Stadium City
Omondi Stadium Lugogo Kampala
FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru Kampala
Match Officials
Referees
Suavis Iratunga — Burundi
Sisay Raya — Ethiopia
Josephine Wanjiru — Kenya
Lucy Awino Juma — Kenya
Aline Umutoni — Rwanda
Khadmallah Angato Koko — Sudan
Tatu Nuru Malogo — Tanzania
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Assistant Referees
Fides Bangurambona — Burundi
Alida Iradukunda — Burundi
Woinshet Kassaye — Ethiopia
Carolyne Kiles — Kenya
Alice Umutesi — Rwanda
Sandrine Murangwa — Rwanda
Jane Charles Ladu Costantino — South Sudan
Zahra Ali Haroun — Sudan
Janet Balama — Tanzania
Glory John Tesha — Tanzania
South Sudan’s Jane Charles Ladu Costantino was selected among the assistant referees for the regional tournament.
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Draw Ceremony
The official draw for the 2023 CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Qualifiers was held on 5 July 2023 in Egypt.
The nine teams were divided into two groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
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Group A
🇸🇸 Yei Joint Stars FC — South Sudan
🇪🇹 Commercial Bank of Ethiopia FC — Ethiopia
🇺🇬 Kampala Queens FC — Uganda
🇩🇯 FAD Club — Djibouti
🇧🇮 Buja Queens — Burundi
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Group B
🇰🇪 Vihiga Queens FC — Kenya
🇿🇦 New Generation FC — Zanzibar
🇹🇿 JKT Queens FC — Tanzania
🇷🇼 AS Kigali WFC — Rwanda
