Match Details
Date & Time: Saturday, September 20, 2025, kickoff 7:00 PM EAT
Venue: Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo, Kampala, Uganda
Competition: TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, Preliminary Round (First Leg)
NEC FC debut on the continent
As we step onto the continental stage for the very first time, tomorrow’s clash against Nairobi United is a historic East African derby packed with nerves, ambition, and raw talent. The Bugoloobi based club, fresh off a-runners-up finish in the 2024/25 StarTimes Uganda Premier League, host the Kenyan Naibois in a high stakes encounter. With the second leg set for September 27 in Nairobi, NEC will aim to secure a commanding lead at home to ease the pressure of our debut African adventure. This tie isn’t just about progression—it’s about announcing NEC FC at the continental level.
NEC FC: Momentum from Domestic Grit, Eyes on Continental Glory
NEC’s qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup came the hard way: a gritty second-place league finish, just two points shy of champions Vipers SC, who swept the domestic double and claimed Uganda’s Champions League spot. But the real story of our preparation has been the 2025 FUFA Super 8; a compact, high-stakes classification tournament featuring Uganda’s top-eight finishers from last season, designed explicitly as a pre-season sharpener ahead of the new campaign and continental duties.
In our second-ever Super 8 outing (after a modest sixth-place finish in 2024), NEC transformed into relentless contenders. The opening quarterfinals (a double legged encounter) saw us grind out a 2-2 aggregate win over Express FC, with our first win at Hamz Stadium in the return leg after the game ended 2-1 with Kulanga and Kavuma scoring in the first half, while the first leg had seen Express win 1-0. The semifinals were a true test of character: a tense, physical encounter ending in a 0-0 draw with URA FC at MTN Omondi Stadium on September 13, followed by a 4-3 penalty shootout triumph where goalkeeper Benjamin Ochan emerged as the hero. This propelled us to our maiden Super 8 final against record 16-time Uganda champions SC Villa on September 17 at FUFA Technical Centre, Kadiba.
Though we fell 2-0 to a clinical Villa side—late in the first half through an well crafted counter attack and mid way in the second half through a set-piece, the run to the final was invaluable preparation. It honed our general play, tested squad depth and built unshakeable resilience under head coach Mbalangu Hussein.
Nairobi United F.C
Nairobi United arrive as the ultimate underdogs-turned-headliners, making their own CAF bow after a fairy-tale 2024/25 FKF Cup triumph; the Mozzart Bet Cup. As champions of Kenya’s second-tier National Super League, they became only the second lower-division side in 18 years (after Sofapaka in 2007) to lift the domestic cup, earning this Confederation Cup slot. Their path was pure drama: penalty-shootout upsets over Kenyan Premier League heavyweights Tusker FC and KCB FC, a 2-1 quarterfinal scalp of Kakamega Homeboyz, and a 3-1 semifinal penalty win over Mara Sugar. The crowning glory? A shock 1-0 final victory over 20-time champions Gor Mahia on June 29 at Nyayo National Stadium, sealed by a second-half Ezekiel Nyanjiga strike.
Injuries/Suspensions: NEC head coach Mbalangu reports full fitness post-Super 8.
Watch Coach Mbalangu’s presser here: