Kyaddondo started the new season with a 0-0 draw at Buweekula's NTC Stadium in Mubende.

MUBENDE – NTC Stadium – The 2026 Buganda Masaza Cup roared back to life on Saturday, June 13, not with a bang, but with a brilliant, bone-crunching chess match that left 18 counties knowing one undeniable truth: nobody is surrendering an inch this season.

In front of a distinguished crowd including the Katikiro of Buganda, Owek. Charles Peter Mayiga, the defending champions Buweekula and the spirited warriors of Kyaddondo played out a gripping 0-0 draw that felt like a heavyweight prizefight where both boxers refused to blink.

If this was the appetizer, the main course over the next three months promises to be pure fire.

History was against Kyaddondo before a ball was even kicked. Coming into this clash, the visitors had not beaten Buweekula in five consecutive meetings. The champions, resplendent in their crown, smell blood whenever they see Kyaddondo.

Yet, it was Kyaddondo who drew first psychological blood.

The first half was a frantic, end-to-end advertisement for local football. Kenneth Ssebaduka (Kyaddondo) and Denis Konde (Buweekula) turned the midfield into their personal duel ground, trading eye-catching runs and crunching tackles. Kyaddondo’s livewire forward, Abbas Muluya, was a constant rash on Buweekula’s defense, darting between defenders like a mosquito in a dark room—irritating, fast, and impossible to swat.

But Buweekula, as champions do, grew into the game. After the interval, the heat turned up. The hosts cranked a vice-like pressure onto Kyaddondo’s goal. Wave after wave of white striped shirts crashed against a blue wall.

And that wall had a name: Bwabye Ashiraf.

With Buweekula swirling like a storm in the final quarter, their forwards—including the lively Fred Tumusiime Lopez—circled for the kill. But Kyaddondo’s goalkeeper, Bwabye Ashiraf, turned the NTC Stadium into his personal fortress. Diving, smothering, and commanding his box, he ensured the champions “could not find a way beyond” him.

While Ashiraf kept the sheet clean at one end, his captain led from the back at the other.

Trevor Kalule, wearing the armband for Kyaddondo, was announced as Man of the Match before the final whistle had even faded. It was a rare honor—announcing the winner during the contest—but Kalule earned every syllable. His timely tackles, crucial clearances, and the commanding maturity of a veteran general turned what could have been a loss into a hard-fought point.

“We came prepared not to concede,” said a proud Coach Bright Nyanzi of Kyaddondo afterward. “Playing the defending champion at his home ground is never easy. The boys were immense. We build from here.”

For Buweekula, the result extends their unbeaten run against Kyaddondo to six matches. They sit top of the Bulange Group alongside their visitors, both nursing a single point but entirely different emotions.

Coach Ibrahim Kyobe was pragmatic but revealing. While pleased with the point, he dropped a warning to the rest of the group.

“We will build on this,” Kyobe said. “But understand—some of my key soldiers have not yet reported to camp. They are still finishing club duties. Boma FC has over four players in playoffs. Buwambo FC has two. When they return, you will see the real Buweekula.”

In other words: champions haven’t even left the locker room yet.

Last season, this fixture was a misery-ridden affair for Kyaddondo. But 2026 feels different. Both teams have changed personnel, technical benches, and tactical philosophies. Kyobe prefers a measured, positional game. Nyanzi has built a restless, counter-attacking wolf pack.

The result? A draw that felt like a victory for one and a lesson for the other.

If Saturday’s opener was this thrilling without a single goal, imagine what happens when the nets start rippling.

The Bulange Group action continues next Sunday, with:

• Busiro vs. Gomba at Nabbingo

• Busujju vs. Buvuma — the islanders make their first trip of the season

And mark your calendars for June 20–21, when Matchday One explodes across the kingdom:

Masengere Group:

• Ssese vs. Bulemeezi

• Busiro vs. Gomba

• Mawokota vs. Kyaggwe

Muganzirwaza Group:

• Ssingo vs. Kabula

• Bugerere vs. Kooki

• Butambala vs. Mawogola

The final is set for October 31st. But if this opening act is anything to go by, the road to that final will be a three-month war of attrition, brilliance, and broken hearts.

Brace yourselves, Buganda. The Masaza Cup is back. And it is wide open.