Ibanda District were crowned champions of the 2026 Ankole Cup yesterday after defeating Bushenyi District 5-4 in a penalty shootout following a dramatic 2-2 draw at Kabwohe Stadium in Sheema District.
The final drew a large crowd to Kabwohe Stadium and was attended by senior government officials, including Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa and Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara.
Musician and presidential adviser on creatives Eddy Kenzo was among the officials involved in the trophy presentation.
The Ankole Cup brings together district teams from the Ankole sub-region and is aimed at promoting grassroots football and identifying local talent.
This year’s final saw a collection of Shs73m from the gate collections.
The winner of this tournament was awarded over Shs25m while the second runners up went home with Shs17m.
Each of the participating districts in the tournament was awarded Shs2m with minister Balaam promising that the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) will invest over 100m in this tournament going forward.
