Tanzania National Team: Taifa Stars Football Squad, Fixtures and AFCON 2027

The Tanzania national team is the Taifa Stars, the country's senior men's football side, governed by the Tanzania Football Federation and based at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Their AFCON history includes appearances in 1980, 2019, 2023 and 2025, and they reached the last 16 for the first time in January 2026. Consult the AFCON 2027 data module for hosting details and venues. South African readers looking for the Tanzania soccer team can explore the squad, kick off times in four time zones, records, honours and connections across our five countries.

If you have ever watched a Lagos estate side wait years for its turn on the good pitch, you will understand the 39 years Tanzania spent between their first AFCON in 1980 and their return in 2019. That wait ended with qualification in March 2019. The team's history explains that return, how Tanzania's 2 to 1 result against Nigeria at AFCON 2025 connects the teams, and how to read the live fixtures, results and ranking that sit above the copy.

Who Are the Taifa Stars, and Where Does the Name Come From?

Taifa Stars is the nickname of Tanzania's senior men's national team. The Tanzania Football Federation governs the side, whose home ground is Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania national team and Taifa Stars names identify the same side, with one international history and one set of fixtures.

The team's story starts before the name Tanzania existed. Before the union with Zanzibar, the side played as Tanganyika, and its first international was a 7 to 0 loss to Uganda in 1945. The Uganda connection spans generations, from their first international in 1945 to the 3 to 0 Tanzanian win in 2019 that reopened the door to the Africa Cup of Nations. Explore Tanzania's regional opponents through the national teams hub, which also covers sides across Africa.

Taifa Stars Fixtures: What Time Is Kick Off Where You Live?

The Tanzania fixture module pairs each kick off with EAT, WAT, SAST and GMT readings. Dar es Salaam, Nairobi and Kampala share EAT, which is UTC plus three hours. Nigeria uses WAT, South Africa uses SAST and Ghana uses GMT. A match starting at 19:00 EAT therefore begins at 17:00 WAT, 18:00 SAST and 16:00 GMT, giving readers in all five countries the same starting moment.

Check the broadcaster entry attached to the individual fixture for viewing information in your country. Coverage depends on the competition and territory. The competition label also helps distinguish an AFCON qualifier from a friendly before you compare squad selections or results.

Who Is in the Tanzania Squad?

The latest Tanzania squad sits in the squad module, which updates whenever the federation names a new group, so the names there are the ones to trust on matchday. Historical selections help explain some familiar connections: Mbwana Samatta captained Tanzania at AFCON 2019, and goalkeeper Aishi Manula was also in that tournament squad. Simon Msuva scored the only goal against Guinea on 19 November 2024 to secure qualification for AFCON 2025.

Tanzania's AFCON 2023 squad linked domestic and overseas football. Feisal Salum was listed with Azam, Aishi Manula with Simba and Mbwana Samatta with PAOK. Those dated club connections give readers a reference point for comparing the club affiliations in a later squad announcement.

Who Coaches the Taifa Stars, and How Do They Play?

Miguel Ángel Gamondi signed a two year contract to coach the Taifa Stars on 16 February 2026, with the government publicly backing the appointment, and the coach box in the module above shows who is in charge whenever you are reading. To compare selections and outcomes, read the squad module alongside results from the same competition and period. Check which players were selected, the opponents and whether each match was a qualifier, friendly or tournament fixture. At AFCON 2025, Tanzania drew with Uganda and Tunisia before a 1 to 0 defeat by hosts Morocco on 4 January 2026; those results provide a dated reference for comparison.

How Do You Read the Tanzania FIFA Ranking and Results?

Use the ranking module to compare Tanzania's listed world and African positions, then consult the results module for the matches behind that snapshot. When comparing results, keep the competition and opponent in view: a tournament match and a friendly provide different contexts for assessing a performance.

History gives the ranking its frame. Tanzania's best FIFA ranking is 65th, reached in February 1995, and their lowest was 175th, in October and November 2005. So, when a South African or Ghanaian reader compares Tanzania with Bafana Bafana or the Black Stars, those two marks show the range the team has moved across over three decades. Tanzania also appeared at the AFCON editions of 2019, 2023 and 2025, providing tournament milestones to read alongside the ranking history.

What Have the Taifa Stars Won, and How Far Have They Gone at AFCON?

Tanzania's trophies come from regional football, where they won the CECAFA Cup in 1974, 1994 and 2010. They also finished third at the 2017 COSAFA Cup, beating South Africa 1 to 0 in the quarter finals and Lesotho 4 to 2 on penalties in the third place match. Their African Nations Championship (CHAN) history includes group stage appearances in 2009 and 2020. The honours and records modules carry the broader tournament and World Cup qualification records.

Tanzania first played at the AFCON finals in 1980, then waited 39 years until a 3 to 0 win over Uganda on 24 March 2019 sent them back. They lost all three group games at the 2019 tournament. They returned for the 2023 edition, and Simon Msuva's goal in a 1 to 0 win over Guinea on 19 November 2024 took them to AFCON 2025 in Morocco. During that campaign they drew with Uganda and Tunisia, reached the last 16 and went out 1 to 0 to Morocco on 4 January 2026.

Who Holds the Taifa Stars Records?

The records module identifies Tanzania's appearance and scoring leaders and carries their updated totals. Compare caps and goals separately, since they describe different contributions to the national team. For a dated scoring milestone, Simon Msuva's goal against Guinea on 19 November 2024 secured a 1 to 0 win and qualification for AFCON 2025, where Tanzania reached the last 16 in January 2026.

Where Do the Taifa Stars Play, and How Do You Get Tickets?

Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam is the home of the Taifa Stars and holds 60,000. Tickets for national team matches are released for each fixture, so use the ticket channels the Tanzania Football Federation announces for that match. If you are travelling from Nairobi or Kampala, plan around the EAT kick off and allow time for the journey to the ground.

Use the AFCON 2027 data module to check tournament dates, host locations and the venue assigned to each fixture before booking travel. For supporters travelling from Lagos, Accra and Johannesburg, the fixture module provides kick off conversions to compare with travel arrangements.

Why Do the Taifa Stars Matter in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Uganda?

Nigeria and Tanzania met in the AFCON 2025 group stage in Morocco, with the Super Eagles winning 2 to 1 in December 2025. Tanzania's results against Uganda trace a longer connection: the 7 to 0 loss as Tanganyika in 1945, the 3 to 0 qualification win on 24 March 2019 and the 1 to 1 draw at AFCON 2025 in December 2025 mark distinct chapters in their shared football history.

For readers in Kenya and Uganda, the AFCON 2027 data module provides hosting and venue details to consult when planning a trip to watch Tanzania. South African readers have a result to remember from the 2017 COSAFA Cup, where Tanzania beat Bafana Bafana 1 to 0 in the quarter finals. Readers in Ghana can compare the Taifa Stars and Black Stars through their AFCON histories and the ranking module, using the same date for any ranking comparison.

Is It the Tanzania National Team or the Taifa Stars?

Tanzania national team is the formal description, while Taifa Stars is the team's nickname. Older records use Tanganyika, the name under which the side played before the union with Zanzibar in 1964. The 1945 international against Uganda belongs to that earlier period of the team's history. Use either Tanzania or Taifa Stars when reading the squad, fixture and results modules.