{"id":2717,"date":"2026-08-05T07:46:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T07:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=2717"},"modified":"2026-08-05T07:46:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T07:46:25","slug":"rayon-sports-end-28-year-wait-for-cecafa-kagame-cup-final-ignite-celebrations-across-rwanda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/05\/rayon-sports-end-28-year-wait-for-cecafa-kagame-cup-final-ignite-celebrations-across-rwanda\/sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Rayon Sports end 28-year wait for CECAFA Kagame Cup final, ignite celebrations across Rwanda"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Rayon Sports are one win away from reclaiming regional supremacy after defeating South Sudan’s Jamus FC 3-1 on Tuesday to reach the CECAFA Kagame Cup final for the first time in 28 years, sparking celebrations among supporters across Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The victory at Kigali Pel\u00e9 Stadium ended a nearly three-decade wait for the country’s most popular club, whose last appearance in the tournament’s final came in 1998 when they went on to lift the trophy in Zanzibar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rayon Sports will now face Kenyan giants Gor Mahia in Friday’s final at Amahoro Stadium after the Kenyan side eliminated Sudan’s Al Hilal SC in the other semifinal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rwandan side seized control of the match early and never looked back. Muderi Akbar opened the scoring in the 17th minute after meeting Emmanuel “Kabange” Nshimiyimana’s cross with a composed finish, rewarding Rayon Sports’ bright start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Jamus FC attempted to respond, Rayon Sports remained dangerous on the counterattack, with winger Elie Tatou Iradukunda consistently stretching the South Sudanese defense. Goalkeeper Majak Malinga kept Jamus in the contest before halftime by denying Issa Djiguiba from close range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamus, playing without injured captain Kevin Muhire \u2014 a former Rayon Sports captain \u2014 showed greater urgency after the break but found themselves further behind in the 56th minute. Ibrahim Djingarey Mansouru capitalized on a loose ball inside the penalty area to double the hosts’ advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The South Sudanese club reignited hopes of a comeback when Bandiougou Diallo pulled one back in the 69th minute after defensive hesitation from Rayon Sports. Jamus pressed for an equalizer during the closing stages, but goalkeeper Dande Junior and the Rayon defense absorbed the pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Any hopes of a dramatic comeback ended in the 87th minute when substitute Tambwe Ngongo Gloire unleashed a powerful long-range strike into the net, sealing a memorable 3-1 victory and sending the home crowd into celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final whistle triggered jubilant scenes inside and outside Kigali Pel\u00e9 Stadium. Thousands of Rayon Sports supporters remained in the stands singing and applauding the players, while others poured into the streets of Nyamirambo waving club colors, dancing and chanting long after the match had ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The victory also dominated conversations on social media, where fans hailed the team’s return to the regional stage after nearly three decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the first public officials to congratulate the club was Rwanda’s Minister of Sports, Nelly Mukazayire, who posted a message on X praising the team’s performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Oh Rayon! Keep up the momentum. The goal remains the same… The trophy stays here at home this Friday,” she wrote.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Rayon Sports now have an opportunity to cap their remarkable run by winning the CECAFA Kagame Cup for the first time since 1998. Victory over Gor Mahia on Friday would not only end a 28-year title drought in the competition but also mark one of the club’s most significant achievements in recent history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a club that has spent years chasing a return to the summit of East and Central African football, Friday’s final offers the chance to turn a long-awaited comeback into another chapter of history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rayon Sports are one win away from reclaiming regional supremacy after defeating South Sudan’s Jamus FC 3-1 on Tuesday to reach the CECAFA Kagame Cup […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,34,27,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current_affairs","category-national","category-sports","category-top_stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2717"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2721,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2717\/revisions\/2721"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}