DAR ES SALAAM: WITH the clock ticking toward the historic hosting of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, Tanzania is intensifying efforts to transform Taifa Stars from regional hopefuls into a competitive continental force.
At the centre of that vision is the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), president Wallace Karia, who says improving the country’s standing in the FIFA world rankings has become a strategic national objective ahead of the tournament that Tanzania will co-host with Kenya and Uganda.
Karia made the comments during an interview with the ‘Daily News’: “Our target is not just to participate in AFCON 2027, but to compete and perform well,” he said, stressing that regular international competition during FIFA windows will be crucial in helping Taifa Stars climb the global ladder.
Tanzania currently sits around 112th in the FIFA men’s rankings, according to FIFA’s latest updates. While rankings may appear symbolic, they carry practical importance in modern football. Higher-ranked nations benefit from improved tournament seeding, greater international visibility, increased sponsorship attraction and stronger negotiating power when arranging high-level friendlies.
For Tanzania, ranking improvement is also psychological. The Taifa Stars have historically struggled to establish consistency on the continental stage, and global rankings often reflect that uneven progress. Tanzania’s highest FIFA ranking remains 65th, while its lowest dropped to 175th during difficult rebuilding periods.
Karia believes frequent participation in FIFA-sanctioned international matches is the fastest path toward stability and competitiveness.
“Every competitive match contributes to our growth and helps us earn important FIFA ranking points,” he explained.
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That approach mirrors strategies used by several rising African nations that deliberately schedule competitive friendlies and regional tournaments to gain experience while accumulating ranking points. The Taifa Stars remain one of East Africa’s most passionate but underachieving football nations.
Tanzania has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations only a handful of times, with appearances in 1980, 2019, 2023 and 2025. Despite flashes of promise, the country has never advanced beyond the group stage.
The 2019 qualification ended a 39-year AFCON absence and was widely celebrated as a turning point for Tanzanian football. Since then, qualification consistency has improved, signalling gradual institutional progress inside the federation.