Launch of the Pioneer Regional Competition: The Gossage Cup

The Gossage Cup began in Nairobi in 1926, opening a new chapter in East African representative football. Uganda and Kenya drew 1–1 on 1 May in the inaugural match, recognised by FUFA as Uganda’s first official international. Kenya won the replay 2–1 on 3 May to claim the first trophy. Sponsored by soap manufacturer William Gossage, the competition later expanded to include Tanganyika and Zanzibar. It continued under the Gossage Cup name through 1966, before being succeeded by the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup and, subsequently, the CECAFA championship. Uganda became the most successful side in the Gossage Cup era, collecting 22 titles, including the championship shared with Kenya in 1960. The tournament helped establish the regional rivalries and tradition of national representation that later generations of the Uganda Cranes would carry forward.