2016 KPL Top 8 Cup

The 2016 KPL Top 8 Cup was the fifth edition of the tournament, which kicked off on 1 May and ended on 16 October.^[1][2] It was contested by the top 8 teams of the 2015 season of the Kenyan Premier League: A.F.C. Leopards, Bandari, Gor Mahia, Muhoroni Youth, Sofapaka, Tusker, Ulinzi Stars and Ushuru.

2016 KPL Top 8 Cup

Tournament details
Country	Kenya
Teams	8
Final positions
Champions	Muhoroni Youth (1st title)
Runners-up	Gor Mahia
Tournament statistics
Matches played	9
Goals scored	18 (2 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Mark Makwata Humphrey Mieno Clifton Miheso Jacques Tuyisenge (2 goals each)[nb 1]
← 2015 All statistics correct as of 16 October 2016.

Gor Mahia were the defending champions of the competition, having won their second title in the previous season after beating Sony Sugar 2–1 after extra time in the final played at the Moi Stadium in Kisumu. However, they were beaten in the final by winners Muhoroni Youth, who picked up their first title of the competition and KSh. 1,000,000/= in prize money.^[3][4]

Format

The tournament follows a single-elimination format for the quarter-finals and the final, where the winning team immediately advances to the next round or wins the tournament, respectively.

For the semi-finals, the tournament adopts a double-elimination format, where a team must win two legs to advance to the final. If both teams are equal on aggregate goals at the end of the two legs, a penalty shoot-out will be conducted to determine who advances to the final. The away goals rule also applies in this round.

2015 Kenyan Premier League standings

Main article: 2015 Kenyan Premier League

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Gor Mahia (C, Q)	30	24	6	0	60	12	+48	78	Qualification for 2016 CAF Champions League[a]
2	Ulinzi Stars	30	17	7	6	41	25	+16	58
3	Sofapaka	30	12	11	7	39	39	0	47
4	Bandari	30	12	10	8	32	25	+7	46
5	Tusker	30	12	8	10	46	28	+18	44
6	Muhoroni Youth	30	11	11	8	31	36	−5	44
7	A.F.C. Leopards	30	11	8	11	33	30	+3	41
8	Ushuru	30	9	10	11	22	28	−6	37
9	Mathare United	30	7	15	8	35	34	+1	36
10	SoNy Sugar	30	9	8	13	23	26	−3	35
11	Western Stima	30	9	8	13	25	31	−6	35
12	Thika United	30	10	5	15	31	42	−11	35
13	Chemelil Sugar	30	6	14	10	23	35	−12	32
14	Nairobi City Stars	30	6	10	14	25	37	−12	28
15	Kenya Commercial Bank (R)	30	6	8	16	34	48	−14	26	Relegation to 2016 National Super League
16	Nakuru AllStars (R)	30	4	11	15	34	58	−24	23

Updated to match(es) played on 1 November 2015. Source: Kenyan Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Notes:

1. The winners of the 2015 FKF President's Cup will qualify for the 2016 CAF Confederation Cup.

Bracket

	Quarterfinals				Semifinals						Finals
	Sofapaka	0
	Muhoroni Youth	3
					Muhoroni Youth	0	1	1
					Ulinzi Stars	0	1	1
	Ulinzi Stars	3
	A.F.C. Leopards	2
											Muhoroni Youth	1
											Gor Mahia	0
	Bandari	1
	Tusker	2
					Tusker	0	0	0
					Gor Mahia	2	1	3
	Gor Mahia	1
	Ushuru	0

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 12 April.^[1]

Fixtures

The ties are scheduled to take place on 1–2 May.^[1]

Bandari v Tusker

1 May 2016 (2016-05-01)	Bandari	1–2	Tusker	Madaraka Estate, Nairobi
14:00 UTC+3	Lavatsa 13'	Report	Mieno ?', 57'	Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium

Ulinzi Stars v A.F.C. Leopards

1 May 2016 (2016-05-01)	Ulinzi Stars	3–2	A.F.C. Leopards	Madaraka Estate, Nairobi
16:15 UTC+3	Makwata 6', 78' Ochieng 90'	Report	Miheso 55', 60'	Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium

Sofapaka v Muhoroni Youth

2 May 2016 (2016-05-02)	Sofapaka	0–3	Muhoroni Youth	Madaraka Estate, Nairobi
14:00 UTC+3		Report	Ochieng 51' Ochomo ?' Arita ?'	Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium

Gor Mahia v Ushuru

2 May 2016 (2016-05-02)	Gor Mahia	1–0	Ushuru	Madaraka Estate, Nairobi
16:15 UTC+3	Tuyisenge 61'	Report		Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 2 May at the Nyayo National Stadium.^[5]

First leg

The first leg matches took place on 12 June.^[6][7]

Muhoroni Youth v Ulinzi Stars

12 June 2016 (2016-06-12)	Muhoroni Youth	0–0	Ulinzi Stars	Madaraka Estate, Nairobi
14:00 UTC+3		Report		Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium

Tusker v Gor Mahia

12 June 2016 (2016-06-12)	Tusker	0–2	Gor Mahia	Madaraka Estate, Nairobi
16:15 UTC+3		Report	Tuyisenge 13' Agwanda 33'	Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium

Second leg

The second leg matches will take place on 19 June.^[8][9]

Ulinzi Stars v Muhoroni Youth

19 June 2016 (2016-06-19)	Ulinzi Stars	1–1	Muhoroni Youth	Madaraka Estate, Nairobi
14:00 UTC+3	Muloma 72'	Report	Hamisi 23'	Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium

1–1. Muhoroni Youth advance to the final on away goals rule.

Gor Mahia v Tusker

19 June 2016 (2016-06-19)	Gor Mahia	1–0	Tusker	Madaraka Estate, Nairobi
16:15 UTC+3	Kahata 45'	Report		Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium

Gor Mahia win 3–0 on aggregate.

Final

The final took place on 16 October.^[2]

Muhoroni Youth v Gor Mahia

16 October 2016 (2016-10-16)	Muhoroni Youth	1–0	Gor Mahia	Madaraka Estate, Nairobi
15:00 UTC+3	Rono 62'	Report		Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium

Goalscorers

2 goals

• Mark Makwata (Ulinzi Stars)
• Humphrey Mieno (Tusker)
• Clifton Miheso (A.F.C. Leopards)
• Jacques Tuyisenge (Gor Mahia)

1 goal

• Enock Agwanda (Gor Mahia)
• Moses Arita (Muhoroni Youth)
• Abdallah Hamisi (Muhoroni Youth)
• Francis Kahata (Gor Mahia)
• Edwin Lavatsa (Bandari)
• Churchill Muloma (Ulinzi Stars)
• Enosh Ochieng (Ulinzi Stars)
• Wellington Ochieng (Muhoroni Youth)
• Wycliffe Ochomo (Muhoroni Youth)
• Kennedy Rono (Muhoroni Youth)

Team statistics

Pos.	Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	GF	GA	GD
1	Muhoroni Youth	4	2	2	0	8	5	1	+4
2	Gor Mahia	4	3	0	1	9	4	1	+3
Eliminated in the semi-finals
3	Ulinzi Stars	3	1	2	0	5	4	3	+1
4	Tusker	3	1	0	2	3	2	4	−2
Eliminated in the quarter-finals
5	A.F.C. Leopards	1	0	0	1	0	2	3	−1
6	Bandari	1	0	0	1	0	1	2	−1
7	Ushuru	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	−1
8	Sofapaka	1	0	0	1	0	0	3	−3
Total		8(1)	6	2(2)	6	22	17	17	0

Updated to games played on 16 October 2016. Team(s) rendered in italics represent(s) the host nation(s). The competition's winning team is rendered in bold.
⁽¹⁾ – Total games lost not counted in total games played (total games lost = total games won)
⁽²⁾ – Total number of games drawn (tied) for all teams = Total number of games drawn (tied) ÷ 2 (both teams involved)
⁽³⁾ – As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

Notes

1. Goals scored during penalty shoot-outs are not counted.