Dar es Salaam. Did you see what unfolded at the weekend for our Tanzanian representatives in continental football? The real answers to who advances to the group stage will be known in the final week of October 2025.
This season (2025/26), Tanzania has six teams in CAF competitions four from Mainland Tanzania and two from Zanzibar.
On the Mainland, Yanga and Simba are competing in the CAF Champions League, while Azam and Singida Black Stars are in the Confederation Cup.
From Zanzibar, Mlandege entered the Champions League but fell at the preliminary stage to Ethiopian Insurance, leaving KMKM in the Confederation Cup.
As fate would have it, Tanzania is guaranteed at least one side in the group stages of the Confederation Cup, with Azam and KMKM facing each other in the play-off round. The winner on aggregate will secure a historic group-stage spot.
Azam are yet to feature in the group stage since first entering continental football in 2015.
Now under the tutelage of Florent Ibenge, a coach with a proven CAF pedigree after winning the Confederation Cup with RS Berkane in 2021/22, the “Ice Cream Makers” look determined.
They dispatched South Sudan’s Al Merreikh Bentiu 4-0 on aggregate in the first round, winning both legs 2-0.
KMKM, meanwhile, eliminated AS Ports of Djibouti with a 4-2 aggregate win, both matches played at the New Amaan Complex.
In the Champions League, Simba advanced past Gaborone United 2-1 on aggregate, a campaign that began under Fadlu Davids and is now overseen by Hemed Suleiman “Morocco”.
Yanga thrashed Angola’s Wiliete 5-0 across two legs, continuing their dominance without conceding, much like Azam.
The Next Step
Between 17–19 October, the second-round play-off ties will be staged, with Tanzanian clubs enjoying the advantage of starting away before bringing the deciders home between 24–26 October.
Simba will visit Eswatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs before hosting them at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
Yanga travel to Malawi to face Silver Strikers, also returning to the Mkapa for the second leg.
In the Confederation Cup, Azam and KMKM face off in a Zanzibari-Mainland showdown, while Singida Black Stars, led by Miguel Gamondi, take on Burundi’s Flambeau du Centre.
Gamondi’s men are on a high, having eliminated Rwanda’s Rayon Sports 3-1 on aggregate. Flambeau, only founded in 2016, upset Al Akhdar of Libya 4-3 to reach this stage.
Know Your Opponents
Nsingizini Hotspurs (Eswatini): Founded in 1984, they are reigning domestic champions. Last season, they fell in the preliminary round to Stellenbosch (8-0 aggregate).
They play continental games at Somhlolo Stadium in Lobamba, with a 20,000 capacity. Nicknamed Insingizi Yezulu (The Voice of the Sky).
Silver Strikers (Malawi): Established in 1977, nicknamed The Bankers due to ownership by the Reserve Bank of Malawi.
They host matches at the 41,100-seater Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe. Currently coached by Etson Kadenge Mwafulirwa.
Flambeau du Centre (Burundi): Founded in 2016, based in Gitega, playing continental matches at Intwari Stadium (10,000 capacity).
Their continental debut came in 2022 when they reached the Champions League second round, losing to Zamalek.
Tanzanian football is once again at a crossroads, and this October could mark a new dawn with multiple clubs fighting for coveted places in the group stages. The journey, indeed, starts afresh.
