TANZANIA Football Federation (TFF) President Wallace Karia has unveiled the federation’s commitment to enable national team’s technical bench prepare well teams and players.
Karia said that as his reaction to the FIFA group J team that pooled Tanzania together with Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin and Madagascar.
“We have seen and heard on the grouping, all we need is to work hard and do well in every game both at home and away since the best results are always made from best preparations. Tanzanians should continue supporting their team.”
Tanzania’s Taifa Stars booked their place into the group stages after pounding Burundi 3-0 in a post-match spot-kicks at the giant National Stadium in Dar es Salaam in September last year.
Taifa Star’s veteran goalkeeper Juma Kaseja was a hero on the day when he saved one of three penalty shots while Burundi missed two others.
The first round of group games will begin in October this year and finish in October 2021, prior to a final round of play-offs in November 2021.
Only the 10 group winners will progress to the final playoff round, where two-legged ties will decide Africa’s five World Cup representatives.
The qualifiers were planned to begin in March this year but the Confederation of African Football (CAF) postponed them after rescheduling the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations from June kick-off to January.
The first round of African qualifying saw the continent’s 28 lowest-ranked sides compete over two legs, with the winners progressing to join the 26 nations given byes into the second stage.
Ghana and South Africa clash in Group G along with Zimbabwe and Ethiopia, while Egypt and Angola meet in Group F alongside Gabon and Libya.
Egypt were one of Africa’s five representatives at the last World Cup – alongside Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia – and all will believe they have a decent chance of reaching the third and final round in November 2021.
In Group B, Tunisia meet Zambia, Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea while Nigeria face Cape Verde, Central African Republic and Liberia in Group C. Group H pits Senegal against Congo, Namibia and Togo, while Morocco will meet Sudan and both Guinea and Guinea-Bissau in Group I.
AFCON holders Algeria have been packed in group A together with Burkina Faso, Niger and Djibouti while group D will see two heavyweights Cameroon and Cote D’Ivore fighting for the one qualification space available so as Mozambique and Malawi respectively.
Mali will faceoff three East African Nations (Uganda, Ke nya and Rwanda) in group E qualifying phase.
Tanzania men senior team has participated twice in the African Cup of Nations finals, whereas the first time was in 1980 and the last was in 2019 in the finals staged in Egypt.
