Kitara have opened ticket sales for their CAF Confederation Cup showdown against Egyptian giants Al Ahly as Hoima prepares for another major continental occasion.
The Royals have maintained Ordinary tickets at Shs20,000, while VIP access will cost Shs100,000 for the October 17 first leg at Hoima City Stadium.
The VIP price is double the Shs50,000 charged when Kitara hosted Mogadishu City in the previous round, reflecting the heightened interest surrounding Al Ahly’s visit.
Kitara president Deo Kasozi launched the club’s online ticketing platform on Thursday, encouraging supporters to secure their places early for the encounter.
The club hopes the online system will make purchasing easier and reduce congestion associated with physical ticket sales as interest builds around the fixture.
Kitara Events and Marketing Manager Andrew Mega Kaahwa said supporters can purchase tickets through the Book Ticket platform by following the available prompts.
Hoima crowd factor
The Royals will be hoping to build on the strong support witnessed during their first preliminary-round meeting with Mogadishu City.
Kitara attracted 15,061 spectators for that encounter, approaching the 17,000 attendance authorised for matches at the new Hoima City Stadium.
The arrival of Al Ahly could provide an even bigger test of the venue’s pulling power.
Kitara charged Shs20,000 for Ordinary and Shs50,000 for VIP against Mogadishu, meaning the club has retained its cheapest category while introducing a significant premium for VIP supporters against the Egyptian side.
The fixture adds to a busy opening period for Hoima City Stadium, which also hosted Uganda’s 1-0 victory over Libya in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on September 29.
Bigger challenge awaits
Kitara reached the second preliminary round after eliminating Somalia’s Mogadishu City 4-1 on aggregate.
The Royals won the opening encounter 2-1 before completing the job with a 2-0 victory in the return fixture.
Their reward is a considerably tougher assignment against Africa’s most successful club.
Al Ahly have won a record 12 CAF Champions League titles and also lifted the CAF Confederation Cup in 2014.
The Cairo giants received a bye through the opening preliminary round, meaning Kitara will provide their first opposition in this season’s competition.
A place in the Confederation Cup group stage awaits the winner over 2 legs, giving Kitara an opportunity to reach that phase of continental competition for the first time.
Club chief executive officer Joshua Atugonza believes preparations are progressing well ahead of the Egyptians’ arrival.
“We are more than ready for the battle,” Atugonza said during the ticket launch.
Al Ahly return to Uganda
The October meeting will also bring Al Ahly back to Uganda for another competitive fixture.
Their last visit came in 2018 when KCCA famously defeated them 2-0 at Namboole during the CAF Champions League group stages.
Al Ahly subsequently won the return encounter 4-3 in Cairo, but KCCA’s home victory remains one of Ugandan club football’s notable results against the Egyptian giants.
Kitara will now attempt to produce their own memorable result before travelling to Egypt for the return leg.
For the Royals, the first task will be making home advantage count in Hoima against opponents accustomed to the latter stages of African club competition.
A sizeable crowd would give Kitara the atmosphere they want, but their progress will ultimately depend on carrying a competitive result from Hoima into the decisive second leg in Cairo.
Purchase your ticket via the link: https://book.tkt.ug/kitara-fc-vs-al-ahly-sc