AFCON: Tanzania confirm squad for finals in Morocco

The Tanzania national team announced the squad that head coach Miguel Gamondi will take to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco on Tuesday. Top local clubs Young Africans, Simba SC and Azam FC are well represented as the Taifa Stars continue preparations for Group C.

 

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With most of the team based at Tanzanian clubs, numerous players from the Taifa Stars’ 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) team that reached the quarterfinals are included. Experienced defenders Dickson Job and Mohamed Hussein of Young Africans are involved as well as Simba SC mainstay Shomari Kapombe.

The top scorer for the Taifa Stars at the CHAN, Young Africans forward Clement Mzize, will miss out due to injury. After disappointing attacking performances at the CHAN where Tanzania were one of the co-hosts, the notable domestic-based attackers in the team are Iddi Suleiman Nado of Azam FC and pacey Simba forward Kibu Denis. Azam FC playmaker Feisal Salum is perhaps the most prominent name of the locally-based players and is set for an important role in Morocco.

Gamondi, despite his experience coaching in the local top flight Ligi Kuu Tanzania Bara, will lean on foreign-based players to lead the attack. Most notable is the presence of Kelvin Pius John, who is finding his feet in Europe with Danish club AaB Aalborg after struggling for regular playing time over three seasons with Belgium’s Genk. The 22-year-old is a player to watch after making his first appearance for the Taifa Stars in over 18 months in a recent friendly.

Goal scoring has long been an issue for the East African power against top opposition, but limited options have led Gamondi to call in familiar veterans Mbwana Samatta (Le Havre, France) and Simon Msuva (Al Talaba, Iraq). Both well over 30 years old at this point, Samatta assisted Msuva for Tanzania’s only goal at the 2023 edition and scored both of their nation’s goals at the 2019 edition.

Midfielder Novatus Dismas, currently based at Turkish club Goztepe, is another foreign-based player to watch. Attacking midfielder Charles M’Mombwa, now at Maltese club Floriana, continues to make a strong impression in friendly matches with two goals and an assist in the team’s most recent friendly, a 3-4 defeat to Kuwait. London-born winger Tarryn Allarakhia, a recent dual national recruit who plays at English fifth tier side Rochdale, was also rewarded with a call after doing well in recent friendly matches.

Tanzania are in Group C at the finals alongside East African rivals Uganda and African powerhouses Nigeria and Tunisia. They begin play on December 23 against Nigeria in Fez.