Best goalkeeper of the last CECAFA Kagame Cup, which Rayon Sports won after a 28-year wait, Junior Dande returns to Cameroon this week — no longer wearing the colours of Canon de Yaoundé, but those of the Rwandan club he now guards for.
Rayon Sports face Panthère sportive du Ndé on 5 September at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaoundé, for the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup 2026-2027 preliminary round. The Kigali club held its first training session at the Omnisports annex stadium 1 in Yaoundé on 2 September.
Panthère du Ndé, for their part, are preparing for the match in a closed training camp at the CAF centre of excellence in Mbankomo. The Bangangté club strengthened its squad after a mixed season and wants to confirm its progress on the continental stage.
The two sides already met at this stage of the competition in 2015: Rayon Sports won 2-0 on aggregate, with goals from Léo Uwambajimana in Douala and Isaac Muganza in Kigali.
Eleven years on, Junior Dande carries much of Rwanda's hopes. Having played for Canon sportif de Yaoundé and Apejes de Mfou before his move to Rwanda, the goalkeeper knows Cameroonian football from the inside — an asset Rayon Sports intend to use against a host they are facing away from home.
For Panthère du Ndé, the stakes are high: qualification would open the door to the next round and confirm the resurgence of a historic Cameroonian club that has long stayed on the margins of continental competitions.
The return leg will be played in Rwanda a few days later, with a place in the next round of the CAF Confederation Cup at stake for the winner on aggregate.
