Rwanda: Rayon Sports WFC Suffer Shock Exit From Champions League Qualifiers

26 August 2026
The New Times (Kigali)
By Alexis Kayinamura

Rayon Sports WFC suffered a shock elimination from the CAF Women's Champions League CECAFA qualifiers after being held to a 1-1 draw by South Sudan's Yei Joint Stars WFC in their final Group A match at Kigali Pelé Stadium on Tuesday.

Jeanette Ukwinkunda put the Rwandan champions ahead with a header in the 46th minute, but Moureen Nankinga equalised for Yei in the 82nd minute to deny Rayon a place in the knockout stage.

ALSO READ: Rayon cruise past Denden to boost Women CECAFA knockout hopes

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Rayon finished second in Group A with five points after one win and two draws. However, they missed out on the best runners-up spot after points earned against the bottom-placed team in their group were deducted.

Yei Joint Stars topped the group unbeaten with seven points, while Mafunzo SC finished third on four points after thrashing Denden FC 9-0 at the FERWAFA Technical Centre.

The deduction was made because Group A had four teams, while the other two groups featured three teams. To ensure a fair comparison among runners-up, points earned against the bottom-placed team in a four-team group are not considered.

As a result, Rayon's points from their 3-0 victory over Denden were removed, leaving them with just two points for the best-runners-up ranking and effectively ending their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.

They therefore miss out on qualification for the knockout stage, despite completing the group phase unbeaten.

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