Twiga Stars to take on Ethiopia for Wafcon final round qualifier

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania's national women’s team, Twiga Stars, will now face Ethiopia in the final round of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) qualifiers. 

The match between Twiga Stars and Ethiopia will take place between October 20 and 28.

Twiga Stars secured their place in the final round after eliminating Equatorial Guinea with a 4-2 aggregate victory.

The Tanzanian side won 3-1 at the Azam Complex before recording a 1-1 draw at Estadio de Malabo in Equatorial Guinea. 

In the second leg, the hosts took the lead in the 14th minute before Enekia Kasonga equalized for Tanzania.

It was Kasonga’s second goal against Equatorial Guinea in the two-legged tie.

Several other teams have also qualified for the final round. Angola will face Malawi, while the winner between Botswana and DR Congo will take on South Africa.

Namibia is set to meet Zambia, and Algeria will battle Cameroon.

Also in the final round are Egypt, who will play against Ghana, Benin versus Nigeria, and Senegal against Ivory Coast.

Additionally, winners from the following matches will complete the final lineup: Burkina Faso vs. Togo, Kenya vs. Gambia, and Cape Verde vs. Mali.

A total of 12 teams will qualify for the final tournament, joining host nation Morocco, who have gained automatic qualification. South Africa are the defending champions of the competition.

Twiga Stars' head coach, Bakari Shime, praised his team’s performance, acknowledging the difficulties they faced against Equatorial Guinea, including a challenging pitch. 

"My players did well in the encounter. They managed to handle the pressure from the hosts, who took the lead in the 14th minute. We stuck to our game plan and managed to equalize. I commend my players for securing this result,” said Shime.

Twiga Stars will now shift their focus to their crucial tie against Ethiopia, aiming to secure a spot in the prestigious 2024 WAFCON tournament.