Tanzania national football team
Men's association football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tanzania national football team (Swahili: Timu ya Taifa ya Mpira wa Miguu ya Tanzania) represents Tanzania in men's international football and is controlled by the Tanzania Football Federation, the governing body for football in Tanzania, Tanzania's home ground is Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar es Salaam and their head coach is Hemed Morocco from Tanzania. They are colloquially known as the Taifa Stars. Tanzania has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Before uniting with Zanzibar, the team played as the Tanganyika national football team. The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).
| Nickname | Taifa Stars | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) | |||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||
| Sub-confederation | CECAFA (East & Central Africa) | |||
| Head coach | Vacant | |||
| Captain | Mbwana Samatta | |||
| Most caps | Erasto Nyoni (107) | |||
| Top scorer | Simon Msuva & Mrisho Ngasa (25) | |||
| Home stadium | Benjamin Mkapa Stadium | |||
| FIFA code | TAN | |||
| ||||
| FIFA ranking | ||||
| Current | 110  2 (19 January 2026)[1] | |||
| Highest | 65 (February 1995) | |||
| Lowest | 175 (October–November 2005) | |||
| First international | ||||
 Uganda 7–0 Tanganyika  (Uganda; Date Unknown 1945) as Tanzania  Tanzania 1–1 Kenya  (Tanzania; 1 March 1969) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
Tanzania 7–0 Somalia  (Jinja, Uganda; 1 December 1995) Somalia 0–7 Tanzania (Kampala, Uganda; 1 December 2012) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
Tanganyika 0–9 Kenya  (Tanganyika; Date Unknown 1956) as Tanzania  Saudi Arabia 8–0 Tanzania (Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 11 September 1998) | ||||
| Africa Cup of Nations | ||||
| Appearances | 5 (first in 1980) | |||
| Best result | Round of 16 (2025) | |||
| African Nations Championship | ||||
| Appearances | 3 (first in 2009) | |||
| Best result | Group stage (2009, 2020) | |||
| COSAFA Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 3 (first in 1997) | |||
| Best result | Third place (2017) | |||
| CECAFA Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 36 (first in 1973) | |||
| Best result | Champions (1974, 1994, 2010) | |||
The island of Zanzibar, part of Tanzania (and once an independent nation), is also an associate member of CAF and has played matches with other nations, but is not eligible to enter the World Cup or Africa Cup of Nations. See Zanzibar national football team.
History
Since qualifying for the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, Tanzania endured nearly 40 years without major success, struggling in both African and World Cup qualifiers. Their best effort was in 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, where the Taifa Stars defeated Burkina Faso twice and only finished three points behind group winners Senegal. In 2010 Tanzania won the CECAFA Cup for the third time.[citation needed]
A recent achievement was a 1–0 win against South Africa in the 2017 COSAFA Cup Quarter-finals. But afterwards, Tanzania lost the Semi-finals 2–4 to Zambia. Then, in the Third-place playoff, Tanzania managed to win the match against Lesotho 4–2 in a penalty shootout after the extra time ended in a goalless draw. This Third place was considered Tanzania's biggest football achievement in many years.[citation needed]
On 24 March 2019, Tanzania beat East African rivals Uganda 3–0 to reach the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 39 years. At the Finals the Taifa Stars, being the weakest team in the group, lost all three Group C matches, as predicted. A few months later, Tanzania qualified for the African Nations Championship for only the second time, as well as defeating Burundi in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.[citation needed]
On 19 November 2024 Tanzania won a narrow victory of 1–0 against Guinea which secured their fourth times Afcon qualification since 1980. A decisive goal by Simon Msuva sent them to the tournament in 2025. The Afcon finals are scheduled to take place from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026 in Morocco.
In February 2026, Tanzania's Ministry of Sports extended Miguel Ángel Gamondi's contract to coach the national football team.[2]
Team image
Kit suppliers
| Kit supplier | Period |
|---|---|
 Uhlsport |
2017–2023 |
| Sandaland |
2023– |
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
2025
| 25 March 2026 World Cup qualification | Morocco  | 2–0 | Tanzania | Oujda, Morocco |
| 21:30 UTC+0 | Report | Stadium: Honor Stadium Referee: Alhadi Allaou Mahamat (Chad) |
| 5 September 2026 World Cup qualification | Congo  | 1–1 | Tanzania | Brazzaville, Congo |
| 17:00 UTC+1 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat Referee: Thabang Ketshabile (Botswana) |
| 9 September 2026 World Cup qualification | Tanzania | 0–1 |  Niger | Zanzibar City, Tanzania |
| 16:00 UTC+3 | Report |
|
Stadium: Amaan Stadium Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria) |
| 8 October 2026 World Cup qualification | Tanzania | 0–1 |  Zambia | Zanzibar City, Tanzania |
| 22:00 UTC+3 | Report |
|
Stadium: Amaan Stadium Referee: Ibrahim Kalilou Traore (Ivory Coast) |
| 14 October Friendly | Iran  | 2–0 | Tanzania | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| 20:00 UTC+4 |
|
Report | Stadium: Rashid Stadium Referee: Adel Al Naqbi (United Arab Emirates) |
| 23 December 2025 AFCON GS | Nigeria  | 2–1 | Tanzania | Fez, Morocco |
| 18:30 UTC+1 | Report | M'Mombwa  50' |
Stadium: Fez Stadium Attendance: 11,444 Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania) |
| 27 December 2025 AFCON GS | Uganda  | 1–1 | Tanzania | Rabat, Morocco |
| 18:30 UTC+1 | Ikpeazu 80' |
Report | Msuva 59' (pen.) |
Stadium: Al Medina Stadium Attendance: 10,540 Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco) |
| 30 December 2025 AFCON GS | Tanzania | 1–1 |  Tunisia | Rabat, Morocco |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Salum 48' |
Report | Gharbi 43' (pen.) |
Stadium: Rabat Olympic Stadium Attendance: 15,205 Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala (DR Congo) |
2026
| 4 January 2025 AFCON R16 | Morocco | 1–0 | Tanzania | Rabat, Morocco |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Díaz 64' |
Report | Stadium: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium Attendance: 63,894 Referee: Boubou Traore (Mali) |
| 26 March 2026 FIFA Series | Tanzania | v |  Liechtenstein | Kigali, Rwanda |
| 16:30 UTC+2 | Stadium: Kigali Pelé Stadium |
| 29 March 2026 FIFA Series | Aruba  /Macau  | v | Tanzania | Kigali, Rwanda |
| 15:00 UTC+2/18:00 UTC+2 | Stadium: Kigali Pelé Stadium |
Coaching staff
| Head coach | Vacant |
| Assistant coach | Juma Mgunda |
| Assistant coach | Hemed Morocco |
| Goalkeeper coach | Osama Al-Hamdan |
| Physical coach |  Mikael Mayoyo |
| Sports therapist |  Joris De Vos |
| Head of medical | Lisobine Kisongo |
| Team manager | Reinhard |
| Video analysis | Gabriel Johnson |
Coaching history
- Caretaker managers are listed in italics.
Bert Trautmann (1975)
Geoff Hudson (1977–1979)
Sławomir Wolk (1979–1980)[3]
Mahammed Msomali (1980–1981)- Rudi Gutendorf (1981)
Joseph Bendera (1981–1985)[4]- Paul West (1985–1989)[5]
- Charles Boniface Mkwasa (1989–1992)
- Sunday Kayuni (1993–1995)[6]
Clóvis de Oliveira (1995–1996)- Badru Hafidh (1996–1998)
- Sylersaid Mziray (1998–1999)[7]
- Mansour Magram (1999–00)
- Burkhard Pape (2000–01)
- Mshindo Msolla (2001–02)
James Siang'a (2002)- Mshindo Msolla (2002–03)
- Badru Hafidh (2003–06)
- Júlio César Leal (2006)
- Márcio Máximo (2006–10)
Jan Poulsen (2010–12)- Kim Poulsen (2012–14)
- Salum Madadi (2014)
Mart Nooij (2014–2015)- Charles Boniface Mkwasa (2015–2017)
- Salum Mayanga (2017–2018)
Emmanuel Amunike (2018–2019)
Etienne Ndayiragije (2019–2021)- Kim Poulsen (2021–2022)
Honour Janza (2022)- Dean Alty (2022)
- Kim Poulsen (2022–2023)
Adel Amrouche (2023–2024)- Hemed Morocco (2024–2025)
Miguel Ángel Gamondi (2025–2026)
Players
Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations between 21 December 2025 and 18 January 2026.[8]
Caps and goals correct as of 4 January 2026, after the match against Morocco.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Hussein Masalanga | 4 March 1992 | 3 | 0 | Singida Black Stars |
| 13 | GK | Yakoub Suleiman Ali | 7 December 1999 | 13 | 0 | Simba |
| 28 | GK | Zuberi Foba | 23 May 2002 | 2 | 0 | Azam |
| 2 | DF | Pascal Msindo | 15 August 2003 | 18 | 0 | Azam |
| 3 | DF | Nickson Kibabage | 12 October 2000 | 15 | 0 | Singida Black Stars |
| 4 | DF | Ibrahim Hamad | 12 November 1997 | 37 | 1 | Young Africans |
| 5 | DF | Dickson Job | 29 December 2000 | 43 | 1 | Young Africans |
| 14 | DF | Bakari Mwamnyeto (vice-captain) | 5 October 1995 | 52 | 0 | Young Africans |
| 15 | DF | Mohamed Husseini | 1 November 1996 | 63 | 1 | Young Africans |
| 16 | DF | Wilson Nangu | 30 September 2001 | 2 | 0 | Simba |
| 19 | DF | Lusajo Mwaikenda | 27 October 2000 | 24 | 0 | Azam |
| 20 | DF | Novatus Miroshi | 2 September 2002 | 35 | 3 |  Göztepe |
| 22 | DF | Shomari Kapombe | 28 January 1992 | 95 | 2 | Simba |
| 6 | MF | Feisal Salum | 11 January 1998 | 60 | 5 | Azam |
| 8 | MF | Charles M'Mombwa | 14 March 1998 | 18 | 4 |  Floriana |
| 17 | MF | Khalid Habibu | 10 September 2001 | 4 | 0 | Singida Black Stars |
| 18 | MF | Morice Abraham | 13 August 2003 | 13 | 0 | Simba |
| 23 | MF | Yusuph Kagoma | 3 April 1996 | 9 | 0 | Simba |
| 24 | MF | Kelvin Nashon | 2 August 2000 | 1 | 0 | Pamba Jiji |
| 25 | MF | Haji Mnoga | 16 April 2002 | 18 | 0 |  Salford City |
| 26 | MF | Tarryn Allarakhia | 17 November 1997 | 12 | 1 | Rochdale |
| 27 | MF | Alphonce Msanga | 14 June 2003 | 8 | 0 |  Şamaxı |
| 7 | FW | Iddy Seleman Nado | 3 November 1995 | 23 | 1 | Azam |
| 9 | FW | Selemani Mwalimu | 19 January 2006 | 7 | 1 | Simba |
| 10 | FW | Mbwana Samatta (captain) | 23 December 1992 | 89 | 22 |  Le Havre |
| 11 | FW | Kibu Denis | 4 December 1998 | 27 | 0 | Simba |
| 12 | FW | Simon Msuva | 2 October 1993 | 103 | 25 |  Al-Talaba |
| 21 | FW | Kelvin John | 10 June 2003 | 12 | 1 |  AaB |
| FW | Abdul Hamisi Suleiman | 26 February 2001 | 27 | 4 | Azam | |
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for Tanzania in the last 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Ally Salim | 19 April 2000 | 5 | 0 | Simba |
v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| DF | Ibrahim Ame | 12 March 1993 | 2 | 0 | Mashujaa |
v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| DF | Miraji Abdallah | 30 June 2004 | 0 | 0 | Coastal Union |
v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| DF | Abdulrazack Hamza | 23 March 2003 | 0 | 0 | Simba |
v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| MF | Mudathir Yahya | 6 May 1995 | 39 | 1 | Young Africans |
v.  Kuwait, 15 November 2025 |
| FW | Paul Peter | 30 November 2003 | 2 | 0 | JKT Tanzania |
v. Kuwait, 15 November 2025 |
| FW | Clement Mzize | 7 January 2004 | 9 | 0 | Young Africans |
v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up. | ||||||
Player records
- As of 4 January 2026[9]
- Players in bold are still active with Tanzania.
Most appearances
| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erasto Nyoni | 107 | 7 | 2006–2021 |
| 2 | Simon Msuva | 103 | 25 | 2012–present |
| 3 | Mrisho Ngassa | 100 | 25 | 2006–2015 |
| 4 | Kelvin Yondani | 97 | 0 | 2008–2021 |
| 5 | Shomari Kapombe | 95 | 2 | 2011–present |
| 6 | Mbwana Samatta | 89 | 22 | 2011–present |
| 7 | John Bocco | 84 | 16 | 2009–2023 |
| 8 | Himid Mao | 81 | 2 | 2013–present |
| 9 | Juma Kaseja | 79 | 0 | 2002–2021 |
| 10 | Aishi Manula | 68 | 0 | 2015–present |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mrisho Ngassa | 25 | 100 | 0.25 | 2006–2015 |
| Simon Msuva | 25 | 103 | 0.24 | 2012–present | |
| 3 | Mbwana Samatta | 22 | 89 | 0.25 | 2011–present |
| 4 | John Bocco | 16 | 84 | 0.19 | 2009–2023 |
| 5 | John Nteze Lungu | 12 | 22 | 0.55 | 1992–2002 |
| 6 | Jerson Tegete | 8 | 28 | 0.29 | 2006–2011 |
| Danny Mrwanda | 8 | 34 | 0.24 | 2005–2011 | |
| 8 | Mohamed Rajab | 7 | 20 | 0.35 | 2002–2011 |
| Thomas Ulimwengu | 7 | 51 | 0.14 | 2010–2021 | |
| Erasto Nyoni | 7 | 107 | 0.07 | 2006–2021 | |
Competitive record
FIFA World Cup
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1930 to 1962 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
| 1966 and 1970 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
| 1974 |
Did not qualify | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||
 1978 |
Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
 1982 |
Did not qualify | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | ||||||||
 1986 |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
 1990 |
Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
 1994 |
Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | |||||||||||||
 1998 |
Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
  2002 |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||
| 2006 |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
 2010 |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 6 | |||||||||
 2014 |
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 14 | |||||||||
 2018 |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | |||||||||
 2022 |
8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 10 | |||||||||
 2026 |
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 7 | |||||||||
 2030 |
To be determined | ||||||||||||||
| 2034 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/16 | 49 | 12 | 15 | 22 | 49 | 67 | ||||||||
Africa Cup of Nations
| Africa Cup of Nations record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
as  Tanganyika |
as Tanganyika | ||||||||||||||
 1957 | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | |||||||||||||
 1959 | |||||||||||||||
 1962 | |||||||||||||||
 1963 | |||||||||||||||
| as Tanzania |
as Tanzania | ||||||||||||||
 1965 |
Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | |||||||||||||
| 1968 | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | |||||||||||||
| 1970 | Did not qualify | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | ||||||||
 1972 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |||||||||
 1974 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | |||||||||
 1976 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |||||||||
| 1978 | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | |||||||||||||
| 1980 | Group stage | 7th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | |
 1982 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |||||||||||||
 1984 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||
 1986 | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | |||||||||||||
| 1988 | Did not qualify | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||
 1990 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||
 1992 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | |||||||||
| 1994 | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | |||||||||||||
| 1996 | Did not qualify | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 15 | ||||||||
 1998 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | |||||||||
| 2000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||
 2002 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||
| 2004 | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2008 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | |||||||||
 2010 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 6 | |||||||||
  2012 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | |||||||||
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||
| 2015 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | |||||||||
| 2019 | Group stage | 24th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | |
 2021 | Did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||||||||
| 2023 | Group stage | 22nd | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2025 | Round of 16 | 16th | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2027 | Qualified as co-hosts | Qualified as co-hosts | |||||||||||||
 2029 |
To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
| Total | Round of 16 | 4/35 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 23 | 99 | 25 | 32 | 42 | 100 | 134 | |
African Nations Championship
| African Nations Championship record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 3 | Appearances: 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 2009 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | |
 2011 | Did not qualify | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | ||||||||
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
 2016 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| 2020 | Group stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2022 | Did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||
| 2024 | Quarter-finals | 8th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | Qualified as hosts | ||||||
| Total | Quarter-finals | 2/7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 22 | |
African Games
| African Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1973 | 7th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | |
| Total | 1/4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | |
