The CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Zonal qualifiers reach their conclusion today at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with two matches.
FUFA Women Super League champions Kawempe Muslim Ladies FC will face Tanzania’s Simba Queens in the third-place playoff, while Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) WFC take on Kenya Police Bullets FC in the highly-anticipated Final.
Kawempe Muslim and Simba Queens will begin the day taking on eachother 11 AM, both teams eager to finish their campaigns on high note after falling short in the semi-finals; Kawempe Muslim to CBE and Simba Queens to Kenya Police Bullets.
Although this clash does not lead to further advancement in the tournament, a third-place finish, pride and personal records are all at stake.
Kawempe Muslim’s striker Hadija Nandago, who has been a standout player with five goals in the tournament, will be looking to increase her tally.
Nandago, who scored four of her goals in a resounding 10-0 victory over Djibouti’s FAD FC, is currently tied as the tournament’s top scorer and will aim to secure the accolade of leading goal scorer outright.
The final, set to be played at 2 PM, features CBE WFC against Kenya Police Bullets FC, with the winner earning the coveted spot to represent the CECAFA region in the upcoming CAF Women’s Champions League.
CBE, who playing on home soil, are determined not to face another final defeat, having lost in their previous two attempts.
They will depend heavily on key players like Sinaf Wakuma Zenaf Demise, who is the other joint top scorer, and Aregesh Kalsa Tadesse to deliver the goals that could secure their victory.
Kenya Police Bullets, on the other hand, are making their debut in the tournament, and have shown remarkable resilience in the tournament so far, especially in their 3-2 semi-final win over defending champions Simba Queens.
They now stand on the brink of making history by becoming the second Kenyan team to win the zonal title.
Players such as Rebecca Akinyi Okwaro and Purity Alukwe Anyetu will be crucial in their quest for victory.
Notably, the final day of matches brings together four teams that already faced each other in the group stages, with CBE having defeated Kenya Police Bullets 2-1, and Simba Queens beating Kawempe Muslim Ladies 3-0.
