U-17 Women’s World Cup (Q): Serengeti Girls step up preparations for South Africa

The Tanzania U-17 women’s national team, Serengeti Girls, has intensified preparations for their crucial FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying clash against South Africa with training sessions at the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) Technical Centre in Kigamboni, Dar es Salaam.

 

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The highly anticipated encounter is scheduled to take place on May 23, 2026, at the New Amaan Complex in Zanzibar, as Tanzania continue their journey in the qualification campaign for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup set to be hosted in Morocco.

Tanzania booked their place in the second round after an impressive performance against Botswana, winning 6-2 on aggregate. The Serengeti Girls first secured a hard-fought 3-2 away victory before completing the job with a dominant 3-0 win at home.

South Africa, meanwhile, progressed automatically to the second round following the withdrawal of the Central African Republic.

The upcoming fixture carries huge importance for both sides, as the winners will move a step closer to securing one of Africa’s five qualification spots for the expanded FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals. The final qualification round is expected to be played in July.

The Serengeti Girls head into the qualifiers inspired by the recent success of Tanzania’s U-20 women’s national team, who made history by qualifying for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland. The Tanzanian youngsters achieved the feat after defeating Cameroon 2-0 and advancing with a 3-3 aggregate result.

With confidence growing inside the camp, the Serengeti Girls will be hoping to emulate their U-20 counterparts by writing another memorable chapter in Tanzanian women’s football history when they face South Africa later this month.