By: Emmanuel Patrick Laku | Sports Hunter South Sudan
The 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Qualifiers was the second edition of the regional women’s club football championship organised by the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA).
The competition brought together the best women’s clubs from across East and Central Africa with the aim of determining the region’s representative for the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League finals.
The tournament was initially scheduled to be held in Arusha, Tanzania, from 28 July to 10 August 2022, but was later relocated to Dar es Salaam, where it officially took place from 15 to 27 August 2022.
Eight clubs representing eight CECAFA member associations participated in the competition, including South Sudan champions Yei Joint Stars FC, who made their second consecutive appearance after taking part in the inaugural 2021 edition.
The tournament ended with hosts Simba Queens FC of Tanzania lifting the trophy after defeating Uganda’s She Corporate FC in the final, securing qualification for the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League.
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Tournament Details
Competition: CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Qualifiers
Edition: 2nd edition
Host Country: Tanzania 🇹🇿
Host City: Dar es Salaam
Dates: 15–27 August 2022
Teams: 8 clubs from 8 associations
Venues: 2
Matches Played: 16
Goals Scored: 72
Average Goals Per Match: 4.5
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Participating Teams
The 2022 edition featured clubs from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zanzibar.
Team Association Appearance Previous Best Performance
Fofila PF Burundi 1st Debut
Garde Républicaine FC Djibouti 1st Debut
Commercial Bank of Ethiopia FC Ethiopia 2nd Runners-up (2021)
AS Kigali WFC Rwanda 1st Debut
Yei Joint Stars FC South Sudan 2nd Group Stage (2021)
Simba Queens FC Tanzania 2nd Third Place (2021)
She Corporate FC Uganda 1st Debut
Warriors Queens FC Zanzibar 1st Debut
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South Sudan’s Representatives: Yei Joint Stars FC 🇸🇸
Yei Joint Stars FC returned to the CECAFA Women’s Champions League qualifiers for the second time after making their debut in the 2021 tournament.
The South Sudanese champions were drawn into Group B alongside:
Simba Queens FC (Tanzania)
She Corporate FC (Uganda)
Garde Républicaine FC (Djibouti)
The team aimed to improve from their previous group-stage exit and gain more international experience against some of the region’s strongest women’s clubs.
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Tournament Venues
All matches were played in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, using two venues.
Stadium City Capacity
National Stadium Dar es Salaam 60,000
Azam Complex Stadium Dar es Salaam 10,000
The National Stadium hosted the majority of matches, including the semi-finals, third-place playoff and final.
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Match Officials
Referees
The tournament featured referees from across Africa, including:
Suavis Iratunga — Burundi
Shahenda Saad Ali Emaghrabi — Egypt
Letticia Antonella Viana — Eswatini
Tsehaynesh Abebe — Ethiopia
Zomadre Sonia Kore — Ivory Coast
Antsino Twanyanyukwa — Namibia
Salima Mukansanga — Rwanda
Shamirah Nabadda — Uganda
Zablon Chief Florentina — Tanzania
Assistant Referees
Fides Bangurambona — Burundi
Yara Atef — Egypt
Soukaina Hamdi — Morocco
Alice Umutoni — Rwanda
Jane Charles — South Sudan
Marex Nkumbi — Uganda
Groly Tesha — Tanzania
Janet Balama — Tanzania
South Sudan’s Jane Charles was among the assistant referees selected for the regional competition.
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Draw Ceremony
The official draw for the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Qualifiers was conducted on 20 July 2022 in Morocco.
The eight participating teams were divided into two groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
Group A
🇷🇼 AS Kigali WFC
🇪🇹 Commercial Bank of Ethiopia FC
🇿🇦 Warriors Queens FC (Zanzibar)
🇧🇮 Fofila PF (Burundi)
Group B
🇹🇿 Simba Queens FC
🇺🇬 She Corporate FC
🇸🇸 Yei Joint Stars FC
🇩🇯 Garde Républicaine FC
