Seven-time Uganda’s Premier League champions, Vipers, are preparing to kick off their 2025/26 CAF Champions League campaign this Friday, taking on Namibian side African Stars FC in the opening preliminary round.
The Venoms, whose last journey to the group stage came in the 2022/23 season, are eager to secure a positive result in the first leg at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, before returning to their home stronghold, St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende, for the second leg a week later.
Coach Ivan Minnaert and his squad touched down in South Africa on Wednesday, ready to hit the ground running and stamp their authority early in the continental tournament.
A successful outing over the two legs against African Stars would see Vipers advance to the second round, where they will meet the winner of the clash between Zambia’s Power Dynamos and Côte d’Ivoire’s ASEC Mimosas, a step closer to the ultimate prize: a place in the prestigious group stages.
Two seasons ago, Vipers made headlines with a remarkable run that saw them upset Olympic de Bangui and TP Mazembe en route to the group phase, eventually facing the likes of Raja Casablanca, Horoya AC, and Simba SC in a fiercely contested pool. That historic run remains fresh in the minds of the Venoms as they set out to replicate, and surpass, that achievement this season.
Vipers have strengthened their ranks ahead of the campaign, welcoming new additions including Odili Chukwuma, Taddeo Lwanga, Ashraf Mandela, Enock Ssebaggala, and Kevin Dasylva Bady. All five players are part of the traveling party and could see their competitive debuts in South Africa.
Vipers SC Squad Traveling to Cape Town
Goalkeepers: Alfred Mudekereza, Denis Kiggundu
Defenders: Hilary Mukundane, Rogers Torach, Enock Luyima, Livingstone Mulondo, Derrick Ndahiro, Nico Wadada, Kevin Dasylva Bady, Ashraf Mandela
Midfielders: Taddeo Lwanga, Enock Ssebaggala, Karim Watambala, Pedro Sukuya, Allan Okello, Patrick Mbowa
Forwards: Mark Yallah, Yunus Sentamu, Milton Karisa, Gusto Mulongo, Odili Chukwuma, Isaac Ogwang.
