Al Hilal, APR FC open 2026/27 RPL campaign with convincing wins

Reigning BK Pro League champions Al Hilal Omdurman and Rwanda champions APR FC have made winning starts to their 2026/27 domestic campaigns.

Al Hilal defeated Kigali FC 2–0 at Kigali Pelé Stadium on Wednesday, while APR FC recovered from an early deficit to beat Marine FC 4–2 later the same day.

The two results came after both clubs had been away from the opening rounds of the domestic season because of their continental commitments.

For Al Hilal, the victory was their first BK Pro League appearance of the season after their opening fixtures against Bugesera FC and Marine FC were postponed because of their participation in the CAF Champions League.

The Sudanese giants began their title defence with a controlled performance against Kigali FC, scoring through Ansumana Samura in the 16th minute before Ahmed Salem doubled the advantage in the 63rd.

The result continues a strong domestic record for Al Hilal since their arrival in Rwanda in October 2025.

The club won the 2025/26 BK Pro League title after an attacking campaign in which they scored 73 goals, the highest total in the competition.

Emmanuel Flomo finished as their leading scorer with 12 goals, while Adama Coulibaly and Jean Claude Girumugisha contributed nine each.

Girumugisha was subsequently named the league’s Player of the Season.

Their domestic success has also been accompanied by an impressive continental campaign.

Al Hilal reached the quarter-finals of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League, finishing top of their group after a notable 2–1 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns in Kigali.

The Sudanese club have already made another positive start to the 2026/27 Champions League.

They defeated Burundi’s Aigle Noir 2–0 away in the first leg of the first preliminary round before winning the return match 1–0 at Amahoro Stadium, completing a 3–0 aggregate victory without conceding a goal.

Ahmed Salem M’Bareck scored the decisive goal in the second leg.

That victory has taken Al Hilal into the second preliminary round, where they are scheduled to face Ethiopia’s Sidama Bunna.

The two-legged tie is scheduled for October, with the winners moving into the Champions League group stage.

APR FC, meanwhile, returned to domestic action with an entertaining 4–2 comeback victory over Marine FC.

The Kigali side fell 2–0 behind after goals from Sultan Bobo Sibomana and Aimé Ntirushwa, but Cheick Djibril Ouattara pulled one back before halftime.

Raouf Memel Dao levelled shortly after the restart, Ouattara completed his brace to put APR ahead, and Fidali Uwiyaremye added the fourth late on.

The result was APR’s first league match of the season after the club postponed its opening two fixtures because of its CAF Champions League campaign.

It also highlighted the attacking options of a side that relied heavily on Ouattara last season.

The Burkina Faso forward finished the 2025/26 BK Pro League campaign as the league’s top scorer with 18 goals.

APR’s immediate continental assignment has already provided another indication of their character.

After losing 1–0 away to DR Congo’s Les Aigles du Congo in the first leg of the Champions League first preliminary round, APR overturned the deficit in Kigali with a 3–0 victory.

Ouattara scored twice, including from the penalty spot, while Christian Ishimwe also found the net as APR advanced 3–1 on aggregate.

That comeback means they will now face one of the biggest tests of their continental campaign, Egyptian giants Zamalek in the second preliminary round.

CAF has scheduled the first legs for October 16–18 and the return matches for October 23–25. 

The 16 teams that survive the second preliminary round will advance to the Champions League group stage.

Al Hilal began their league defence with two goals and a clean sheet, while APR responded to a two-goal deficit with four unanswered goals to claim their first three points.

The early domestic results therefore provide an encouraging platform, but the bigger tests are still ahead. 

Joseph Morris Vincent