Tanzanian Premier League side, Simba SC will host Bravos do Maquis in the first Group A match of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup on Wednesday in Dar es Salaam.

Under the watchful eyes of head coach Fadlu Davids, Simba SC will be hoping to make a good start in the group stages against the Angolan side.

“We need to be very cautious and utilize the opportunities we create in-front of goal, but also defend well,” said Simba SC’s coach Davids.

Simba SC who are currently top of the Tanzania Premier League will hope that the likes of Prosper Denis Kibu, Leonel Ateba and Edwin Balwa who scored in the second round against Al Ahli Tripoli find their scoring touch again.

The Bravos do Maquis team which jetted in this evening in Dar es Salaam on a chartered flight will be led in search of goals by Francisco Mataco, Tiago Fota and Luismanico Gonclaves.

While Simba Sc started their campaign in the second round ejecting Al Ahli Tripoli from Libya, Bravos do Maquis eliminated Coastal Union FC (Tanzania) in the first round, and saw-off Saint Eloi Lupopo (DR Congo) in the second round.

Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien will also host CS Constantine (Algeria) in the other Group A match to be played on Wednesday.

Sudan giants Al Hilal have kick started their Group A TotalEnergies CAF Champions League campaign in style with a 2-0 away win against Young Africans SC.

After a goalless first half, coach Florent Ibenge’s team returned strong to score through Adam Coulibaly and Mozamir Yasir to shock the Tanzanian giants in-front of their fans at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.

The Malian put Al Hilal ahead after 63 minutes, before Yasir put the icing on the cake after 90 minutes. It was also the first match for newly recruited Young Africans SC coach Sead Ramovic whose side missed the services of injured Ugandan international Khalid Aucho.

“We are very happy to collect maximum points away from home. We need to remain focused,” said Al Hilal’s coach Ibenge after the match.

Ramovic, the Young Africans coach made it clear that there is still work to be done in-terms of team fitness and general play.

Al Hilal are now top of Group A after the match between hosts TP Mazembe from DR Congo and MC Alger ended goalless.

The draw for the TotalEergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) CECAFA qualifiers will take place on November 28^th, 2024 in Kampala, Uganda.

Yusuf Mossi, the CECAFA Competitions Director confirmed that the draw will be conducted at the FUFA TV studio in Mengo.

Nine teams have registered to take part in the tournament slated to take place December 14-29^th in Kampala.

Mossi however made it clear that all the nine teams will need to re-confirm their participation before the draw is conducted.

The best two teams in the qualifiers will represent the CECAFA Zone at the final tournament. The teams that have confirmed participation include hosts Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Tanzania.

The teams are expected to arrive in Uganda by December 9^th to carry out the mandatory Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests.

In the last Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) U-17 CECAFA qualifiers held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2022, Somalia beat South Sudan 3-1 in the final.

The Taifa Stars of Tanzania have qualified for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025.

Tanzania sealed their place after defeating Guinea 1-0 in a crucial Group H match played at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.

Tiafa Stars qualification makes it a hat-trick of teams that have qualified form the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Zone (Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda).

The two teams went into the match with Guinea only needing a draw or win, while the Taifa Stars needed nothing less than victory to qualify for their straight consecutive AFCON 2022 after playing in the last one hosted by Ivory Coast.

After a tight contest that ended goalless in-front of thousands of home fans, Taifa Stars returned and scored through Simon Nsuva after 61 minutes with a well timed header. Guinea who shocked table leaders DR Congo 1-0 a few days ago tried to fight back to level maters, but Taifa Stars defended in numbers.

It was all celebration after the final whistle as Tanzanian celebrated in the Stadium through to the city centres. The win saw Tanzania qualify as second best team with 10 points behind DR Congo who face Ethiopia in the last Group H match to be played later at night today.

Hemed Suleiman Morocco, Tanzania’s head coach was full of joy after the match. ”I am proud of leading the national team to the AFCON,” said a happy coach.

The teams that have so far qualified for the AFCON 2025 include; Tunisia, Comoros, Morocco (hosts), Gabon, Egypt, Nigeria, Benin, Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Sudan, Zambia, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Mali, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Uganda and Tanzania.