Uganda’s two continental football slots for 2026 are now fully occupied following Kitara FC’s Uganda Cup final victory on Saturday evening at the FUFA Technical Centre in Njeru.
Plascon-powered Vipers SC, the 2025/26 Uganda Premier League champions, were the first to book their ticket, securing a spot in the CAF Champions League two weekends ago.
With SC Villa, the most successful football club in the country still in the mix, Kitara had to dig deep to secure their second-ever continental appearance.
SC Villa took an early lead through Simon Kato Ssemayange, but an own goal by Missi Diego Semugera and a second-half winner by Jimmy Kalema were enough to seal the victory for the Hoima-based side.
Now, both Vipers and Kitara turn their focus to the continental stage with a mission of advancing to the group stages and winning a group-stage match.
During their last continental outing in August 2024, Kitara were eliminated in the first round by Libya’s Al Hilal Benghazi, falling 6-4 on aggregate after losing both legs 3-2.
“It was our first time on such a big stage, and remember, we didn’t have a home advantage as we played both legs in Libya,” Kitara FC defender Benjamin Nyakoojo told Nnalubaale Sports. “But we are a different team now with more exposure. We are going to put up a better show.”
On the other hand, Vipers after several attempts managed to advance to the group stage during the 2022/23 season when they eliminated DRC giants TP Mazembe 4-2 on penalties in the second preliminary round.
They were drawn in Group C alongside Raja Casablanca (Morocco), Horoya AC (Guinea), and Simba SC (Tanzania), ultimately finishing bottom of the group with 2 points (2 draws, 4 losses) and scoring just 1 goal.
