U20 WORLD CUP: Tanzanite Queens qualify

ZANZIBAR: TANZANIA’s U-20 women’s national team produced a night of pure footballing drama at the New Amaan Complex in Zanzibar yesterday, overturning a daunting first-leg deficit to dump Cameroon out of the qualifiers and punch their ticket to the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

Trailing 3-1 after a bruising first leg in Yaoundé, the “Tanzanite” starlets delivered a masterclass in resilience, winning 2-0 on the evening to level the aggregate score at 3-3 and progress via the away goals rule.

The atmosphere in Zanzibar was electric from the opening whistle and Mary Aaron provided the spark the home crowd craved in the 26th minute. Aaron found the back of the net to ignite hopes of a turnaround, leaving Tanzania just one goal away from history.

As the tension mounted in the second half, Hasnath Ubamba emerged as the hero. In the 75th minute, she struck a clinical second, sending the stadium into raptures and securing the two-goal margin required to silence the Indomitable Lionesses.

The result marks another milestone for Tanzanian football, with the country securing a fourth appearance by a national team at a FIFA World Cup tournament in recent years.

Tanzania previously qualified for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2022 through the national girls’ under-17 side.

The national amputee team also reached the Amputee Football World Cup in the same year, while the women’s futsal team qualified for the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup last year.

The latest success came after Tanzania overturned a first-leg deficit against one of the strongest sides in the African qualifiers.

Needing at least a two-goal victory in the return leg, Tanzania produced a disciplined performance in front of home supporters.

The side’s route to the World Cup has included victories over some of the continent’s strongest teams including a 7-0 aggregate win against Angola before a 3-1 aggregate victory against Kenya.