The 1981 CECAFA Cup was the 9th edition of the tournament. It was held in Tanzania, and was won by Kenya. The matches were played between November 14–28.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Tanzania |
| Dates | November 14–28 |
| Teams | 8 (from CECAFA confederations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Kenya (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Tanzania |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 39 (2.44 per match) |
Somalia withdrew before the tournament.
Group A edit
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzania
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 |
| Kenya
|
4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
 Malawi
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 |
 Zanzibar
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | –6 |
Group B edit
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Uganda
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
 Zambia
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
 Zimbabwe
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
 Sudan
|
2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | –2 |
Semi-finals edit
Third place match edit
Final edit
References edit