The first round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) group stage matches concludes on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, with two palatable matches on the menu – both in Group F.

Neighbours Tanzania have their Taifa Stars up against 2022 World Cup semifinalists Morocco at the Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro (8 PM). Two-time winners DR Congo will take on 2012 champions Zambia at 11 PM at the same venue.

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But what is the Tanzanian story at the continental tournament?

Tanzania has graced the AFCON finals twice in its history – in 1980 and 2019. The 2023 edition is its third in history and was engineered by former Harambee Stars head coach Adel Amrouche.

The sad tale about Tanzania, one of Africa’s weakest footballing nations that does not achieve much internationally, is that since the invention of football in 206 BC, they have never won an AFCON match.

Historical records indicate that the earliest form of football was called ‘cuju’. It was played in China during the Han era which lasted from 206 BC to 220 AD.

No win and ever-bottom of table for Tanzania at AFCON finals

Taifa Stars have played six matches at the continental showpiece. Of the six, they have managed a draw (in 1980) and lost a whopping five. A win is still a mirage.

In both editions, 1980 and 2019, the East African nation finished bottom of the group. The 1980 edition, hosted and won by Nigeria, had only eight participants placed in two groups.

Tanzania was in Group A against the hosts, Egypt, and Ivory Coast. It lost 3-1 against Nigeria in the opener and lost 2-1 to Egypt before pulling off a 1-1 draw against Ivory Coast as they crashed out as the bottom-placed team.

In the 2019 edition, held in Egypt and won by Algeria, the story was almost the same, if not worse. Tanzania were in Group C alongside neighbours Kenya and finalists Senegal and Nigeria.

The Tanzanians lost to Senegal 2-0, Kenya 3-2, and Algeria 3-0, crashing out as the bottom-placed team.

Tanzania takes on Morocco in their 2023 AFCON opener

Tanzania is the sole representative of East Africa at the 2023 AFCON finals. This is a sharp decline from 2019 when the region was represented by four nations – Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Burundi.

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Tanzania, who have never won an AFCON match and have never qualified for the World Cup finals, begins their campaign against one-time AFCON champions and 2022 World Cup semifinalists Morocco.

Morocco is ranked 13th in the world by FIFA and first in Africa, while Tanzania is 121st globally and 32nd in Africa.

Kenya is 110th globally and 24th on the continent. Can Tanzania pull a surprise? Can they finally get a win at the AFCON finals?

The writer is a Digital Sports Editor with seven years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital media.