Yanga SC withdraw from CAF Champions League warm-up

Tanzania’s Young Africans Sports Club (Yanga SC) have withdrawn from the forthcoming 2025-2026 CAF Champions League’s warm-up invitational tournament scheduled for Namibia.

Namibia’s champions African Stars FC were scheduled to host Tanzania’s NBC Premier League holders alongside Lesotho’s Lioli FC and Petro de Luanda from Angola at Windhoek’s Independence Stadium from August 24 to 26, 2025.

The Debmarine Premiership holders have organized the tournament to toughen up for their participation in the Champions League.

However, in a setback to the profile of the competition, Yanga SC have pulled out for reasons the Namibian club has not disclosed.

African Stars have since announced that Congolese giants AS Maniema Union will take up Yanga’s spot in the Champions League warm-up.

“African Stars FC would like to inform our fans and stakeholders that Young Africans SC from Tanzania has withdrawn from the upcoming Pre-Season Tournament in Windhoek (26-24 August 2025),” the Namibian team’s statement reads.

“We are excited to welcome AS Maniema Union from the Democratic Republic of Congo as their replacement. Join us in giving them a warm Namibian welcome and supporting great football!”

African Stars head coach Bob Mafoso told Namibian newspaper recently that the competition, dubbed the African Club Association Championship, will help his side prepare for the continental assignments.

“Competing with regular participants in the tournament is one thing that can assist us because we will learn so much from them, as they are the type of teams with high pedigree that we should expect to be drawn against in the Champions League preliminary stage. Once we get to that stage, we will know what to expect,” the coach is quoted as saying.

African Stars won the Namibian league championship for the third consecutive time last season.