South Sudanese heavyweights Yei Joint Stars FC made a resounding statement in their opening fixture of the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Qualifiers, cruising to a comfortable 3–0 win over Eritrea’s Denden WFC at the Kigali Pelé Stadium.
A masterclass in set-piece execution saw Yei Joint Stars capitalise on goalkeeping errors, with Grace Aluka grabbing a brilliant second-half brace alongside an early strike from Poni Easther Wani.
The South Sudanese side needed just seven minutes to open the scoring. Poni Easther Wani stepped up to deliver a long-range free-kick that caught the Denden goalkeeper off guard, tucking the ball away in the 7th minute to give Yei Joint Stars an early 1–0 cushion.
Denden FC tightened up defensively for the remainder of the first period, but Yei Joint Stars restored their attacking authority after the break.
In the 53rd minute, Grace Aluka doubled the lead after receiving a sharp setup from Spencer Nakacwa. Aluka struck a powerful effort into the net to make it 2–0.
Aluka put the game completely out of reach in the 74th minute, netting another well-placed free-kick to complete her double and cap off a dominant performance.
The dominant win propels Yei Joint Stars straight to the top of Group A with three points and a +3 goal difference.
Group A also features home side Rayon Sports WFC (Rwanda) and Zanzibar’s Mafunzo WFC, who square off later on Friday at the same venue.
With ten regional clubs competing across three groups in Kigali, only the ultimate champion will earn the single slot to represent the CECAFA region at the prestigious 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League final tournament.
