Gor Mahia officially out of CECAFA Kagame Cup 2024 contention

15th July 2024 - by Stephen Ochieng

K'Ogalo cannot get a ticket to the semifnals even if they beat Al Hilal on Tuesday.

Benson Omalla. PHOTO| SportPicha
SUMMARY
  • In the 12-team competition, only the group winners from the three pools and the best runner-up would get tickets to the last four.
  • SC Villa has five points, Red Arrows can get to six points while K'Ogalo can only manage four points.
  • Teams that have already booked their tickets to the semis include Al Wadi from Sudan and APR from Rwanda.

Gor Mahia’s 39-year drought in the CECAFA Kagame Cup will be extended by another year following confirmation that the record Kenyan champions cannot progress to the semifinals of the 2024 edition currently ongoing in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

K’Ogalo were hoping to bag a fourth crown in the regional tournament making its return after a three-year absence but a 0-1 loss against Zambia’s Red Arrows and a 1-1 draw against Djibouti Telecom left them needing some sort of miracle if they were to advance to the semis.

In the 12-team competition, only the group winners from the three pools and the best runner-up would get tickets to the last four.

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But after teams in Group A and Group C completed their pool action on Monday evening, K’Ogalo, who only had one point to show for their effort, were mathematically knocked out as SC Villa took their tally to five points as they finished behind APR in Group B.

That meant that they, alongside Red Arrows, are the teams best placed to progress as the runner-up.

While Red Arrows can steal that ticket from Villa by beating Telecom to go upto six points, Gor Mahia can only manage a maximum of four points even if they beat Al Hilal on Tuesday.

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K’Ogalo face Al Hilal, who have won their two matches, looking to end their tournament with at least a win under their belt.

Al Hilal got their tournament off to the perfect start by beating Telecom 2-0 before thrashing Red Arrows 5-0, safely ensuring that they will move to the semifinals of the regional showpiece.

Teams that have already booked their tickets to the semis include Al Wadi from Sudan and APR from Rwanda who topped Group A and C respectively.

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Top winners of the CECAFA Dar Port Kagame Cup

6-time winners

Simba SC (Tanzania): 1974, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2002

AFC Leopards (Kenya): 1967, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1997

5-time winners

Young Africans SC (Tanzania): 1975, 1993, 1999, 2011, 2012

Tusker FC (Kenya): 1988, 1989, 2000, 2001, 2008

Three-time winners

APR FC (Rwanda): 2004, 2027, 2010

Al Merriekh (Sudan): 1986, 1994, 2014

SC Villa (Uganda): 1987, 2003, 2005

Gor Mahia (Kenya): 1980, 1981, 1985

CECAFA Kagame Cup 2024 Groups

Groups A: Coast Union FC (Tanzania), Al Wadi FC (Sudan), JKU SC (Zanzibar), Dekedaha FC (Somalia)

Group B: Al Hilal (Sudan), Gor Mahia FC (Kenya), Red Arrows FC (Zambia), Djibouti Telecom (Djibouti)

Group C: SC Villa (Uganda), APR FC (Rwanda), Singida Black Stars (Tanzania), El Merriekh Bentiu (South Sudan)

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