The Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Swahili: Baraza la Mashirikisho ya Mpira wa Miguu Afrika Mashariki na Kati, French: Conseil des Associations de Football d'Afrique de l'Est et Centrale, Arabic: مؤتمر جمعيات شرق ووسط أفريقيا لكرة القدم, Amharic: የምስራቅ እና መካከለኗኛሙ አፍሪካ እግር ኳስ ማህበራት ምክር ቤት; officially abbreviated as CECAFA) is an association of the football playing nations in mostly East Africa and parts of Central Africa.

The competition was sponsored by the major Nairobi-based soap-manufacturing firm Gossage, owned by the British Lever Brothers.

[1] The tournament was known as the "Gossage Cup" until the mid-sixties, when it was redubbed the "East African Challenge Cup".its consisted of only 12 teams CECAFA's head offices are in Nairobi, Kenya.

The first tournament was contested between Kenya and Uganda, which saw the Kenyan squad win the two legs 3–1 on aggregate.

* Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) members are marked with an asterisk In 2007, television rights for the tournament were sold to GTV.