Dar es Salaam. Fresh from their CAF Champions League disappointment, Tanzania Mainland champions Young Africans SC return to domestic duty this afternoon determined to reignite their season when they host Cosmopolitan FC in the FA Cup Round of 64 at KMC Complex Stadium.
For Yanga, the match represents more than just the start of another knockout campaign. It is the beginning of a renewed push for silverware after falling short of the CAF Champions League quarterfinals for the second consecutive season.
Despite signing off their continental campaign with an emphatic 3–0 victory over JS Kabylie at the New Amaan Complex in Zanzibar, the Jangwani Street giants could not overturn the goal difference required to progress. They needed a win of more than three goals to keep their hopes alive.
Their fate was ultimately sealed after AS FAR Rabat played out a goalless draw against Al Ahly, a result that lifted AS FAR to nine points and ensured qualification alongside group winners Al Ahly, who finished with 10 points. Yanga ended third with eight points, while JS Kabylie finished bottom with three.
With their continental journey now over, Yanga’s attention shifts firmly to local competitions, where they remain dominant. The FA Cup offers not only silverware but also Tanzania’s ticket to the CAF Confederation Cup next season.
Yanga enter the competition as four-time defending champions and the most successful club in the tournament’s history, having lifted the trophy a record nine times since 1967. Their remarkable consistency in the competition has seen them represent Tanzania in the CAF Confederation Cup for four consecutive seasons.
Facing second-tier side Cosmopolitan FC, Yanga are overwhelming favourites on paper. However, knockout football has often produced surprises, and the defending champions will be wary of complacency as lower-division sides view such fixtures as opportunities to make history.
Elsewhere across the country, the Round of 64 fixtures promise compelling action. Mashujaa will take on Nkim of Tanga at Lake Tanganyika Stadium in Kigoma, while Mwanza will host a heated derby as Pamba Jiji entertain Alliance FC.
Mtibwa Sugar face IAA SC of Arusha at Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma, while JKT Tanzania clash with Pan African at Major General Isamuhyo Stadium. In Tanga, African Sports meet Kilimo of Singida at Mkwakwani Stadium.
Other notable ties include Stand United against Mabao FC in a Shinyanga derby, Kagera Sugar hosting Mighty Elephant at Kaitaba Stadium in Bukoba, and Championship leaders Geita Gold welcoming Kajuna FC of Kigoma.
For Yanga, however, the spotlight remains firmly fixed on reclaiming momentum. Having seen their continental ambitions curtailed, the FA Cup now provides the perfect platform to reassert their domestic supremacy and keep alive hopes of completing another local double alongside the NBC Premier League.
The message from Jangwani is clear: the continental chapter may have closed, but the pursuit of trophies is far from over.
