Manqoba eyes new records with Yanga in Caf Champions League

Dar es Salaam. Young Africans head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has set his sights on taking the Tanzanian champions beyond their established CAF Champions League ceiling as they begin their 2026/2027 campaign with ambitions of achieving their highest-ever finish in Africa’s premier club competition.

Mngqithi, appointed ahead of the new season, has made continental success one of his major targets at Yanga, with the experienced South African tactician attracted to the club partly because of its ambition to compete at the highest level in Africa.

His target represents a significant challenge because Yanga’s best performance in the Champions League era remains a quarter-final appearance. The club reached the last eight in 2023/2024, matching their performances in the old African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1969 and 1970. CAF records describe the 2023/24 campaign as Yanga’s third quarter-final appearance in the competition’s history.

Yanga came particularly close to progressing further in 2023/24 when they faced South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns in the quarter-finals. The first leg at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium ended 0-0 before Sundowns won the return leg 3-2 on penalties after another goalless draw in Pretoria.

That campaign remains a reference point for the club, but their subsequent Champions League outings have underlined the difficulty of sustaining progress. In 2024/25, Yanga failed to reach the knockout stage after finishing their group campaign without securing the victory they needed against MC Alger, settling for a goalless draw in Dar es Salaam.

Last season, however, they again demonstrated their ability to navigate the early stages, eliminating Malawi’s Silver Strikers 2-1 on aggregate after a 2-0 victory in the return leg to reach the group stage.

Mngqithi now wants to turn that consistency into a deeper run.

The coach has already promised supporters a stronger squad capable of competing seriously for both the domestic title and Champions League glory. His experience with Mamelodi Sundowns, including work in CAF inter-club competitions, gives him an understanding of the tactical demands and pressure associated with the continent’s biggest competition.

Yanga have been handed a potentially favourable route this season. They face Botswana’s Gaborone United in the first preliminary round, with the winner meeting either Madagascar’s CFFA or Lesotho’s Lijabatho in the second round. The Tanzanian champions will play the first leg away before hosting the return fixture.

For Mngqithi, progressing through those rounds is only the starting point. The ultimate objective is to push Yanga beyond the quarter-finals and establish a new benchmark for Tanzanian club football.