He will be joined by two fellow Portuguese coach, Filipe Pedro as assistant coach both expected to enhance Yanga’s technical and tactical depth
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Mainland champions Young Africans (Yanga) have officially unveiled Pedro Gonçalves as their new head coach, succeeding Roman Folz, who was dismissed earlier this week.
The announcement came on the night of October 25, 2025, just hours after Yanga secured their place in the CAF Champions’ League group stage with a convincing 2–0 victory over Malawi’s Silver Strikers at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
Gonçalves, a Portuguese national, arrives at Yanga with an impressive managerial review, highlighted by his successful spell in charge of the Angola national team between 2019 and 2025.
Under his leadership, Angola reached the quarterfinals of the most recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), their best performance in more than a decade.
He also led Angola during the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), hosted across Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda in 2025, and guided the nation to its first-ever U-17 World Cup qualification in 2019.
From Sporting CP to African glory
Born on February 7, 1976, in Lisbon, Portugal, Pedro Valdemar Soares Gonçalves began his coaching career in 1997 as an assistant at Amora FC, before moving to Cova da Piedade and later joining Sporting Clube de Portugal in 2000.
At Sporting, he served first as a scout and then as a youth coach for more than a decade, playing a vital role in the development of emerging talents until 2015.
In 2015, Gonçalves moved to Angola, where he managed Primeiro de Agosto’s youth teams and later coached the U-17, U-20, and U-23 national sides.
His success with youth teams, including a COSAFA U-17 Cup title and a historic U-17 AFCON bronze medal, earned him promotion to the senior national team.
Making history with Angola
As head coach of the Palancas Negras, Gonçalves guided Angola to the 2022 African Nations Championship and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where they topped a group featuring Algeria, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania with seven points, their best-ever group stage record.
Yanga's new assistant coach Filipe Pedro
He made further history by leading Angola to their first-ever AFCON knockout-round victory, a 3–0 triumph over Namibia, before a narrow quarterfinal exit to Nigeria.
In 2024, Gonçalves became Angola’s most successful coach, securing 24 victories, the highest in the nation’s history, and lifting the COSAFA Cup after a commanding 5–0 win over Namibia in the final.
That same year, he masterminded a 1–0 away victory against Ghana, ending the Black Stars’ 24-year unbeaten home record in competitive matches.
The new challenge at Yanga
After parting ways with Angola in September 2025, Gonçalves quickly drew Yanga’s attention as the club sought to strengthen its technical setup ahead of the CAF Champions’ League group stage.
He will be joined by two fellow Portuguese coach, Filipe Pedro as assistant coach both expected to enhance Yanga’s technical and tactical depth.
