Ethiopia Nigd Bank (CBE) have secured their spot in the semi-finals of the ongoing CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Qualifiers in Kigali, setting up a high-stakes rematch against Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies.
After suffering a narrow 1-0 setback to Kawempe in the group stage, the 2024 regional champions advanced to the final four via the competition’s best runner-up rule, setting the stage for an immediate shot at redemption.
CBE’s progression came down to tournament regulations and a massive goal tally established on opening day. CBE launched their Group B campaign with a dominant 11-0 victory over Djibouti’s FC UJECO. Despite a Matchday 2 loss to Kawempe, that massive 11-goal cushion left CBE with 3 points and a +10 goal difference. Under CECAFA rules, the semi-finalists comprise the three group winners plus the single best second-place finisher. Because Group A has four teams while Groups B and C have three, results against the bottom-placed team in Group A were excluded for fair comparison. After adjusting Group A’s runner-up (Rayon) to 2 points, CBE’s 3 points and superior goal difference comfortably outranked both Group A and Group C’s Simba Queens to seal the final semi-final berth.
All eyes now turn to Saturday’s opening semi-final fixture, where CBE get an immediate opportunity to avenge their only loss of the tournament.
In their group-stage encounter, Kawempe edged out CBE following an 11th minute penalty by Agnes Nabukenya. To overturn that result and book a place in the regional final, the Ethiopian champions will rely on their explosive attack led by Emush Daniel, Rediet Asresahegn and Mahlet Mitiku to break down Kawempe’s defense in Saturday’s showdown.
Semi-Final Matchups
CBE vs. Kawempe Muslim Ladies
Yei Joint Stars vs. Kenya Police Bullets
