Simba SC to face Gor Mahia on Simba Day, Young Africans invite Bandari

Tanzania Mainland Premier League giants Simba SC have invited fellow Kenyan giants Gor Mahia for a pre-season friendly to mark celebrations of Simba Day on September 10 at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

The Msimbazi Reds confirmed the invitation through their media officer Ahmed Ally, who said they were eagerly waiting to play against the record Kenyan champions.

“We will play Kenya record champions Gor Mahia to celebrate Simba Day on Wednesday, September 10 at Mkapa Stadium,” Ally told reporters in Tanzania. “We settled on Gor Mahia because we know they can give us the test we want as we prepare for the new season.”

Gor Mahia, took to their social media pages to confirm the friendly: “We will play a friendly match against Tanzania’s Simba SC on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 in Dar es Salaam.”

While Simba have booked Gor Mahia, their rivals Young Africans (SC) will host Kenya’s Bandari FC on September 12 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. According to Bandari FC’s CEO, Tony Kibwana, the team will arrive in Tanzania on August 30 to begin a pre-season camp, which will include playing a series of matches against local teams.

“We will leave Mombasa on August 30 for Tanzania, where we’ll have our pre-season, including a tournament with various local clubs. The climax will be against Yanga during ‘Mwananchi Day’,” Kibwana confirmed as quoted by the Guardian.

Tensions are already building ahead of the encounter, with Yanga’s Media and Communications Manager Ali Kamwe suggesting the match carries national significance beyond club football.

“This will not be just a friendly match. I want Kenyans to hear that we have handed over our national frustrations to Yanga. They will defend Tanzania’s pride against Bandari,” said Kamwe.

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