Tanzania’s women’s national team, Twiga Stars, has stepped up its final preparations for the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), with the players training hard at Black Rhino Ground in Karatu, Arusha, before heading to Morocco later this week.
Head coach Bakari Shime is currently working with a provisional squad of 32 players as he continues to shape the team for what is expected to be one of Tanzania’s most demanding continental challenges in recent years.
The team is set to depart Tanzania on Thursday to continue its build-up in Morocco ahead of the tournament, which will run from July 26 to August 16, 2026.
Final preparations underway
The Karatu training camp represents the last stage of Twiga Stars’ domestic preparations, with the technical team concentrating on tactical discipline, physical conditioning and team cohesion before announcing the final squad.
The camp comes after several months of preparation that included FIFAinternational friendly matches and training camps abroad designed to expose the players to stronger competition ahead of Africa’s premier women’s football tournament.
One of the major highlights of Tanzania’s build up will be an international friendly against Nigeria’s Super Falcons on July 19 in Casablanca. The match is expected to give Shime a valuable chance to test his side against one of the continent’s most accomplished women’s teams before the tournament kicks off.
Tough group awaits Tanzania
Twiga Stars have been placed in a challenging Group B, where they will come up against defending champions South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.
Tanzania will begin its campaign against reigning WAFCON champions South Africa on July 27, before facing Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire in the other group-stage matches.
Group B fixtures will be staged in Casablanca and Rabat, and Tanzania will be aiming to advance past the group stage despite being drawn against some of Africa’s strongest women’s football sides.
The tournament draw has produced the following groups:
Group A: Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Kenya
Group B: South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Tanzania
Group C: Nigeria, Zambia, Egypt, Malawi
Group D: Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, Cape Verde.
Historic tournament format
The 2026 edition will be the biggest Women’s Africa Cup of Nations ever held, with 16 national teams taking part for the first time in the competition’s history.
The tournament will be hosted in the Moroccan cities of Rabat and Casablanca, with the opening match set for July 26 at the Rabat Olympic Stadium between Algeria and Senegal.
Hosts Morocco will launch their campaign later that same day against Kenya, while several high-profile clashes are expected during the group stage, including Nigeria versus Zambia and Ghana against Cameroon.
The knockout rounds will begin with the quarter-finals on August 8 and 9, followed by the semi-finals on August 12. The third-place playoff is scheduled for August 15, while the final will take place in Rabat on August 16, when the new African champions will be crowned.
World Cup qualification at Stake
In addition to continental glory, the tournament carries major importance as it also serves as the qualification route to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The four semi-finalists will earn automatic places at the global tournament, while the teams knocked out in the quarter-finals will still have a chance to qualify through intercontinental play-off matches.
Alongside World Cup qualification, the champions will also walk away with USD 1 million in prize money, making this one of the most rewarding editions in the history of African women’s football.
As preparations enter their final phase, Twiga Stars will be hoping their efforts in Karatu pay off with a strong showing in Morocco as Tanzania looks to cement its place among Africa’s leading women’s football nations.
