Historical look at Tanzania’s league champions

DAR ES SALAAM: SINCE its establishment in 1965, the Mainland Premier League has been defined by passion, fierce rivalries and moments of brilliance that have captivated fans across the country while several clubs have lifted the prestigious trophy.

With an outstanding record of 30 league titles to date, Yanga stands as the most successful club in the history of the Mainland Premier League.

Their dominance began as early as the late 1960s and gained momentum through the 1970s and 1980s.

In recent years, they have further cemented their supremacy by winning four consecutive titles from the 2021–22 season up to 2024–25, reaffirming their place at the summit of Tanzanian football.

Close behind them is their arch-rival, Simba Sports Club, with 22 championship titles.

Simba were the first champions in 1965 and have enjoyed several periods of dominance, notably in the late 1970s, mid-1990s, and most recently between 2017 and 2021, when they won the league four times in a row.

Their fierce rivalry with Yanga—famously known as the Kariakoo Derby—remains the beating heart of Tanzanian football, drawing massive crowds and unrelenting national attention.

Beyond these two giants, the league has occasionally opened its doors to other champions.

Azam Football Club broke the Yanga– Simba duopoly in the 2013–14 season with a historic title win that marked a new era of professionalism and investment in Tanzanian club football.

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Mtibwa Sugar, too, enjoyed success in the late 1990s, winning back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000, making them one of the few regional clubs to do so.

Going further back, clubs like Pan African (1982), Coastal Union (1988), Majimaji (1998), Mseto Sports (1975), Tuku (1986), and even Cosmopolitans (1967) and Sunderland (1966) had their moments in the sun.

These clubs added richness to the league’s early and middle years, reminding fans that while dominance may lie with a few, greatness can come from anywhere.

Yet, over the decades, the story of the Mainland Premier League remains, at its core, a tale of two footballing institutions—Yanga and Simba—whose fierce competition has defined the identity of Tanzanian football.

Yanga, with their unrivalled record, remain the undisputed kings, followed closely by a proud and persistent Simba.

The rest, though fewer in number, have left marks that cannot be erased from the pages of history.