Tanzania at AFCON: Winless and last in group since 1980

On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, Tanzania bowed out of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals after playing to a goalless draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in their final Group F match.

This was a do-or-die match for Tanzania, and they needed a win to stand a chance of making it to the knockout phase, but that historic win proved elusive at the 20,000-capacity Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo, Ivory Coast.

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Tanzania consistent at AFCON: Winless and always last in group since 1980 — Taifa Stars players pose for a team photo before their final Group F match against DRC at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium. [Photo/TFF].

The result was enough to send Taifa Stars back home. They had suffered a 3-0 loss to Morocco in the opener before conceding late against ten-man Zambia, settling for a 1-1 draw in their second match.

After three games played at the 34th edition of the continental showpiece, Tanzania finished at the bottom of Group F with two points, behind Morocco, DRC, and Zambia. The latter also crashed out.

This was the third time that Tanzania graced the AFCON finals. Their maiden appearance was in 1980 in Nigeria, followed by the 2019 edition hosted by Egypt and won by Algeria.

Their performance in the 2023 edition mirrored the 1980 and 2019 editions. The glaring similarity is that Taifa Stars did not manage a single victory in any of the editions, finished at the bottom of their group in all the editions, and crashed out in the group stage.

In the 1980 edition with only eight participants placed in two groups, Tanzania was in Group A. They lost 3-1 to hosts Nigeria in the opener and 2-1 to Egypt before pulling off a 1-1 draw against Ivory Coast, resulting in their elimination as the bottom-placed team.

In 2019, Taifa Stars were in Group C and lost to Senegal 2-0, Kenya 3-2, and Algeria 3-0, crashing out as the bottom-placed team.

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In total, Tanzania has made three appearances at the AFCON finals and played nine matches. Of the nine, they managed three draws (in 1980 and 2023) and lost a whopping six.

A win is still a mirage. They also consistently finished at the bottom of their group on each occasion and crashed out in the group stage phase.