Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s women’s national football team, the Twiga Stars, have stepped up preparations for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) with a training camp now underway in Egypt.
Under the guidance of head coach Bakari Shime, the camp features a provisional squad of 30 players as the team gears up for Africa’s premier women’s football competition.
The WAFCON finals are scheduled from March 17 to April 3 in Morroco, with 16 nations competing for continental glory. Tanzania finds itself in a challenging Group B alongside hosts South Africa, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso.
Coach Shime has carefully built the squad with a balanced mix of locally-based talents and foreign-based professionals—a strategy aimed at fostering healthy competition, enhancing team cohesion, and raising overall performance levels ahead of the finals.
Domestically, JKT Queens dominate the call-up list with 11 players, including Najiath Abbas, Lidya Maximilian, Anastazia Katunzi, Christer Bahera, Donisia Minja, Ester Maseke, Winfrida Gerald, Janeth Christopher, Stumai Abdallah, Joyce Lema, and Jamila Rajabu.
Simba Queens are represented by Asha Omary and Aisha Juma, while Yanga Princess contribute Diana Manaly, Neema Shau, and Maimuna Kaimu. Additional local talents include Asha Mrisho (Mashujaa Queens), Nusrat Jafar (Fountain Gate Princess), Husna Mtunda (Alliance Girls), and Suzan Adam (Tausi FC).
The squad also highlights Twiga Stars’ expanding international presence, with overseas-based players earning call-ups.
These include Enekia Kasonga and Julieth Singano (Juarez FC, Mexico), Noela Luhala (FK Žalgiris, Lithuania), Violeth Nicholas and Hasnath Ubamba (FC Masar, Egypt), Opah Clement (SD Eibar, Spain), Clara Luvanga (Al Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia), Aisha Masaka (Brighton & Hove Albion, England), and Diana Lucas (Trabzonspor, Türkiye).
Shime has set ambitious targets for the team, aiming for a semi-final finish that would secure qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with WAFCON offering four World Cup tickets.
“The challenge is that only four teams qualify for the World Cup, so every nation will fight to be among the top four. We are aiming to reach that level,” he said.
While assembling a squad with numerous foreign-based players presents logistical challenges, Shime expressed confidence in the team’s potential to perform competitively.
Twiga Stars secured their WAFCON 2026 berth by defeating Ethiopia 3–0 on aggregate, marking their second consecutive appearance and third overall, following participations in 2010 and 2024. In 2010, the team exited at the group stage without a point, while WAFCON 2024 saw them finish bottom of Group C with a single draw.
As preparations gain momentum, Twiga Stars are determined to rewrite history and announce themselves as genuine contenders on Africa’s biggest women’s football stage.
