Cyber Premier League 2026 returns nationwide.
Cyber Premier League, CPL, is back for its third season, and it's bigger than anything we've run before. 76 university teams from across Tanzania compete on the CyberSimba CTF platform, defending their position on a national league table week by week. The format borrows openly from football: standings update live, the league has tiers, and the season closes with a national final in Dar es Salaam.
How the league works
Every team plays through four rounds of cybersecurity challenges. The challenges are designed by working practitioners, not pulled from textbooks, so the skills that move you up the table are the same skills employers actually pay for.
- Round 1: University-level qualifiers, every registered team plays.
- Round 2: Inter-college matchups across regional zones.
- Round 3: Zonal finals, top 16 teams advance.
- Round 4: National finals at the University of Dar es Salaam.
What's at stake
The winning team takes the CPL trophy and a year of mentorship from senior practitioners across the African cybersecurity community. Top individual performers earn placement opportunities at partner firms and travel grants to international conferences. Every participant leaves with a transcript of their challenge history, a portfolio of solved problems they can show to anyone hiring.
“I came in for the trophy. I'm leaving with a job offer and three friends I'll be working with for the rest of my career.”
Registration for the 2026 season is open until April 30. Universities new to the league this year are paired with CPL alumni from neighbouring schools to ease the first-cohort transition. If you're a student, or you know one, point them at the CTF platform and get them registered before the qualifiers begin.