U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FINALS: Samia wants elite-level preps

PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has directed all relevant authorities involved in the preparations of the national women’s team, Tanzanite Queens, to ensure the side receives the best possible support ahead of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup finals in Poland this September.

President Samia issued the directive yesterday through official social media platform while congratulating Tanzanite Queens for securing a historic qualification to the global showpiece.

In her message, the Head of State called on the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports together with all sports authorities and stakeholders to intensify preparations and provide the team with the necessary resources to compete strongly on the world stage.

“I direct the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports and all relevant authorities to make the best preparations possible to enable our team to represent Tanzania and East Africa well in the competition,” part of the statement read.

President Samia further described the qualification as “a historic achievement and great honour for the nation,” following the team’s remarkable success against Cameroon.

Meanwhile, Tanzanite Queens Head Coach Bakari Shime praised the resilience, discipline and self-belief of his players after sealing a historic qualification for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, describing the triumph as a defining moment for women’s football in Tanzania.

Speaking after the decisive second-leg victory at the Amaan Complex over the weekend, Shime said his side showed tremendous character to overcome one of Africa’s strongest women’s football nations.

“The match was very tough, but I must give credit to my players for what they have done. They sacrificed themselves, which has often been our biggest challenge in women’s football,” said Shime.

The Queens overturned a 3-1 first-leg deficit suffered in Yaoundé by recording a determined 2-0 home victory, progressing on the away-goal rule in dramatic fashion to book their place at the World Cup finals.

Shime revealed that the technical bench had focused heavily on regaining control of the tie following the setback in Cameroon.

“As we discussed before, our goal was to take the game away from Cameroon and bring it back home to Tanzania, and I must say the players executed that plan perfectly,” he said.

He added that despite limited exposure to high-intensity domestic competition, his players rose to the challenge against the physically powerful Indomitable Lionesses.

“The level of competition at times is not very high, but in this match, we saw real growth. The players endured the physical power of our opponents and delivered a great result,” he noted.

The achievement was also hailed by Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) Acting General Secretary Oscar Mirambo, who described the qualification as a landmark moment for Tanzanian football.

“Qualifying for the World Cup is a major achievement for TFF and a huge milestone for the country,” said Mirambo. “When you talk about the ‘land of promise,’ you are referring to the World Cup, the highest stage in football.”

Mirambo acknowledged the difficulty of the tie, particularly given the growing rivalry between Tanzania and Cameroon in youth women’s football.

“The process was complicated. Playing Cameroon made it even tougher because of history. After what happened in the U-17 qualifiers, they came with extra motivation. No one wants to be beaten twice,” he explained.

“What remains is to build the right mindset from now until we travel to Poland,” he added, while also thanking the governments of Tanzania and Zanzibar for their continued support in the development of women’s football.