Tanzania’s women’s national team, the Twiga Stars, will take on nine-time African champions Nigeria in an international friendly in Casablanca, Morocco, on Sunday as part of their preparations for the 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The friendly is one of two warm-up matches lined up for the East Africans before the continental tournament begins on July 26 in Morocco.
Head coach Bakari Nyundo Shime expressed confidence in his squad’s readiness, saying the fixtures will provide valuable match experience before the competition gets underway.
“We will play Nigeria and then another friendly against a different team before the tournament starts. These matches are important in helping us fine-tune the team ahead of WAFCON,” said Shime.
The tactician also noted that the team heads into the tournament in a stronger position than previous campaigns, crediting improved planning and better player management.
Twiga Stars will begin their Group B campaign against defending champions South Africa on July 27 in Casablanca before taking on Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire in their remaining group fixtures.
The 16-team tournament, which also features Kenya, will run from July 26 to August 16. Beyond crowning Africa’s champions, WAFCON 2026 will also serve as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with the four semi-finalists securing automatic qualification.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
