| Nickname | Taifa Stars | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) | |||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||
| Sub-confederation | CECAFA (East & Central Africa) | |||
| Head coach | Hemed Morocco | |||
| Captain | Mbwana Samatta | |||
| Mostcaps | Erasto Nyoni (107) | |||
| Top scorer | Mrisho Ngasa (25) | |||
| Home stadium | Benjamin Mkapa Stadium | |||
| FIFA code | TAN | |||
| ||||
| FIFA ranking | ||||
| Current | 112 5 (19 November 2025)[1] | |||
| Highest | 65 (February 1995) | |||
| Lowest | 175 (October–November 2005) | |||
| First international | ||||
 Uganda 7–0Tanganyika  (Uganda; Date Unknown 1945) asTanzania  Tanzania 1–1Kenya  (Tanzania; 1 March 1969) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
Tanzania 7–0Somalia  (Jinja, Uganda; 1 December 1995) Somalia 0–7Tanzania (Kampala, Uganda; 1 December 2012) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
Tanganyika 0–9Kenya  (Tanganyika; Date Unknown 1956) asTanzania  Saudi Arabia 8–0Tanzania (Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 11 September 1998) | ||||
| Africa Cup of Nations | ||||
| Appearances | 5 (first in1980) | |||
| Best result | Group stage (1980,2019,2023) | |||
| African Nations Championship | ||||
| Appearances | 3 (first in2009) | |||
| Best result | Group stage (2009,2020) | |||
| COSAFA Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 3 (first in1997) | |||
| Best result | Third place (2017) | |||
| CECAFA Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 36 (first in1973) | |||
| Best result | Champions (1974,1994,2010) | |||
TheTanzania national football team (Swahili:Timu ya Taifa ya Mpira wa Miguu ya Tanzania) representsTanzania in men's internationalfootball and is controlled by theTanzania Football Federation, the governing body forfootball in Tanzania, Tanzania's home ground isBenjamin Mkapa National Stadium inDar es Salaam and their head coach isHemed Morocco from Tanzania. They are colloquially known as theTaifa Stars. Tanzania has never qualified for theFIFA World Cup. Before uniting with Zanzibar, the team played as theTanganyika national football team. The team represents bothFIFA andConfederation of African Football (CAF).
The island ofZanzibar, 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 orAfrica Cup of Nations. SeeZanzibar national football team.
Since qualifying for the1980 Africa Cup of Nations, Tanzania endured nearly 40 years without major success, struggling in both African and World Cup qualifiers. Their best effort was in2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, where theTaifa Stars defeatedBurkina Faso twice and only finished three points behind group winnersSenegal. In 2010 Tanzania won theCECAFA Cup for the third time.[citation needed]
A recent achievement was a 1–0 win againstSouth Africa in the2017 COSAFA CupQuarter-finals. But afterwards, Tanzania lost the Semi-finals 2–4 toZambia. Then, in the Third-place playoff, Tanzania managed to win the match againstLesotho 4–2 in apenalty shootout after theextra 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 rivalsUganda 3–0 to reach the finals of theAfrica Cup of Nations for the first time in 39 years. At theFinals theTaifa Stars, being the weakest team in the group, lost all three Group C matches, as predicted. A few months later, Tanzania qualified for theAfrican Nations Championship for only the second time, as well as defeatingBurundi in the2022 World Cup qualifiers.[citation needed]
On 19 November 2024 Tanzania won a narrow victory of 1–0 against Guinea which secured their fourth timesAfcon 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.
| Kit supplier | Period |
|---|---|
 Uhlsport | 2017–2023 |
| Sandaland | 2023– |
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
v
Guinea| 19 November2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | Tanzania | 1–0 | Guinea | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
| 16:00 UTC+3 |
| Stadium:Benjamin Mkapa Stadium |
v Tanzania| 25 March2026 World Cup qualification | Morocco | 2–0 | Tanzania | Oujda, Morocco |
| 21:30 UTC+0 | Report | Stadium:Honor Stadium Referee: Alhadi Allaou Mahamat (Chad) |
v Tanzania| 5 September2026 World Cup qualification | Congo | 1–1 | Tanzania |
v
Niger| 9 September2026 World Cup qualification | Tanzania | 0–1 | Niger |
v
Zambia| 8 October2026 World Cup qualification | Tanzania | 0–1 | Zambia |
v Tanzania| 14 OctoberFriendly | Iran | 2–0 | Tanzania | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| 20:00 UTC+4 |
| Report | Stadium:Rashid Stadium Referee: Adel Al Naqbi (United Arab Emirates) |
v Tanzania| 15 NovemberFriendly | Kuwait | 4–3 | Tanzania | Cairo, Egypt |
| 18:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium:Al Salam Stadium |
v Tanzania| 23 December2025 AFCON GS | Nigeria | v | Tanzania | Fez, Morocco |
| 13:00 UTC+1 | Stadium:Fez Stadium |
v Tanzania| 27 December2025 AFCON GS | Uganda | v | Tanzania | Rabat, Morocco |
| 18:00 UTC+1 | Stadium:Al Barid Stadium |
v
Tunisia| 30 December2025 AFCON GS | Tanzania | v | Tunisia | Rabat, Morocco |
| 18:00 UTC+1 | Stadium:Rabat Olympic Stadium |
v Tanzania| 25 JanuaryFriendly | Bolivia | v | Tanzania | Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia |
| 20:00 UTC−4 | Stadium:Estadio Ramón Aguilera |
| Head coach | Hemed Morocco |
| 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 |
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–)The following players were called up forfriendly match againstKuwait on 15 November 2025.[8]
Caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2025, after the match againstKuwait.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GK | Yakoub Suleiman Ali | (1999-12-07)7 December 1999 (age 25) | 12 | 0 | Simba | |
| 1GK | Zuberi Foba | (2002-05-23)23 May 2002 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | Azam | |
| 1GK | Hussein Masalanga | (1992-03-04)4 March 1992 (age 33) | 0 | 0 | Singida Black Stars | |
| 2DF | Shomari Kapombe | (1992-01-28)28 January 1992 (age 33) | 83 | 1 | Simba | |
| 2DF | Mohamed Husseini | (1996-11-01)1 November 1996 (age 29) | 46 | 1 | Young Africans | |
| 2DF | Bakari Mwamnyeto | (1995-10-05)5 October 1995 (age 30) | 38 | 0 | Young Africans | |
| 2DF | Ibrahim Hamad | (1997-11-12)12 November 1997 (age 28) | 30 | 0 | Young Africans | |
| 2DF | Dickson Job | (2000-12-29)29 December 2000 (age 24) | 28 | 1 | Young Africans | |
| 2DF | Haji Mnoga | (2002-04-16)16 April 2002 (age 23) | 14 | 0 | Salford City | |
| 2DF | Pascal Msindo | (2003-08-15)15 August 2003 (age 22) | 14 | 0 | Azam | |
| 2DF | Alphonce Msanga | (2003-06-14)14 June 2003 (age 22) | 2 | 0 |  Şamaxı | |
| 2DF | Wilson Nangu | (2001-09-30)30 September 2001 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Simba | |
| 3MF | Feisal Salum | (1998-01-11)11 January 1998 (age 27) | 52 | 4 | Azam | |
| 3MF | Mudathir Yahya | (1995-05-06)6 May 1995 (age 30) | 39 | 1 | Young Africans | |
| 3MF | Novatus Miroshi | (2002-09-02)2 September 2002 (age 23) | 31 | 3 |  Göztepe | |
| 3MF | Charles M'Mombwa | (1998-03-14)14 March 1998 (age 27) | 13 | 3 |  Floriana | |
| 3MF | Morice Abraham | (2003-08-13)13 August 2003 (age 22) | 9 | 0 | Simba | |
| 3MF | Khalid Habibu | (2001-09-10)10 September 2001 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | Singida Black Stars | |
| 4FW | Abdul Hamisi Suleiman | (2001-02-26)26 February 2001 (age 24) | 16 | 3 | Azam | |
| 4FW | Kelvin John | (2003-06-10)10 June 2003 (age 22) | 7 | 1 | AaB | |
| 4FW | Tarryn Allarakhia | (1997-11-17)17 November 1997 (age 28) | 6 | 1 | Rochdale | |
| 4FW | Selemani Mwalimu | (2006-01-19)19 January 2006 (age 19) | 5 | 1 | Simba | |
| 4FW | Paul Peter | 2 | 0 | JKT Tanzania | ||
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 | (2000-04-19)19 April 2000 (age 25) | 5 | 0 | Simba | v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| DF | Lusajo Mwaikenda | (2000-10-27)27 October 2000 (age 25) | 14 | 0 | Azam | v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| DF | Ibrahim Ame | (1993-03-12)12 March 1993 (age 32) | 2 | 0 | Mashujaa | v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| DF | Miraji Abdallah | (2004-06-30)30 June 2004 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | Coastal Union | v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| DF | Abdulrazack Hamza | (2003-03-23)23 March 2003 (age 22) | 0 | 0 | Simba | v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| MF | Yusuph Kagoma | (1996-04-03)3 April 1996 (age 29) | 0 | 0 | Simba | v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| FW | Simon Msuva | (1993-10-02)2 October 1993 (age 32) | 76 | 19 |  Al-Talaba | v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| FW | Kibu Denis | (1998-12-04)4 December 1998 (age 26) | 19 | 0 | Simba | v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| FW | Iddy Seleman Nado | (1995-11-03)3 November 1995 (age 30) | 12 | 0 | Azam | v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
| FW | Clement Mzize | (2004-01-07)7 January 2004 (age 21) | 9 | 0 | Young Africans | v. Morocco, 25 March 2025 |
DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up. | ||||||
| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erasto Nyoni | 107 | 7 | 2006–2021 |
| 2 | Mrisho Ngassa | 100 | 25 | 2006–2015 |
| 3 | Simon Msuva | 99 | 24 | 2012–present |
| 4 | Kelvin Yondani | 97 | 0 | 2008–2021 |
| 5 | Shomari Kapombe | 87 | 1 | 2011–present |
| 6 | Mbwana Samatta | 85 | 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 |
| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mrisho Ngassa | 25 | 100 | 0.25 | 2006–2015 |
| 2 | Simon Msuva | 24 | 99 | 0.24 | 2012–present |
| 3 | Mbwana Samatta | 22 | 85 | 0.26 | 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 |
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1930 to1962 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
| 1966 and1970 | 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 | To be determined | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||
 2030 | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
| 2034 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/15 | 48 | 12 | 15 | 21 | 49 | 66 | ||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||
| asTanzania | asTanzania | ||||||||||||||
 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 | Qualified | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||||||||
| 2027 | Qualified as co-hosts | Qualified as co-hosts | |||||||||||||
 2029 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 4/35 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 99 | 25 | 32 | 42 | 100 | 134 | |
| African Nations Championship record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 2 | 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 | Qualified as hosts | Qualified as hosts | |||||||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 2/7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 22 | |
| 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 | |
Third place (1):2017
| National teams |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League system |
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| Domestic cups |
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| Awards | |||||
| Lists | |||||
| Related articles | |||||
| International Competitions | |
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| Club Competitions | |
| Current members | |
| National Teams | |
