The announcement of the Taifa Stars squad was revealed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Saturday and, later on, confirmed by the Tanzania Football Federation.
The squad, under the guidance of head coach Adel Amrouche, has 27 players.
Mbwana Samatta, the team's skipper who plays club football for Greece side PAOK Thessaloniki, is set to lead the Tanzanian team's attack alongside Simon Msuva- the only player who is unattached.
Four players- Abdulhamis Suleiman ‘Sopu’, Metacha Mnata, Khelfin Hamdoun, and the injured Twariq Ahmed- are four players dropped from the last provisional squad that was announced before the team flew out to Egypt.
A total of 12 foreign-based players have been selected to complement 14 locally-based ones.
Simba SC and Young Africans SC have contributed four players apiece to the squad.
Tanzania has been drawn in Group F which will see the senior national soccer squad, Taifa Stars, come up against Morocco, DR Congo, and Zambia.
Morocco and Zambia are also part of Tanzania’s qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup, with the teams pooled in Group E which is also made up of Niger and the Republic of the Congo.
Taifa Stars will play their Group Stage matches in the town of San-Pédro, 350km from Abidjan.
They will play on the fifth day of the tournament, January 17, at 6:00 pm as they take on World Cup semi-finalist Morocco, a side they have faced in five previous encounters.
Three days later, they will take on neighbours Zambia on January 21 before concluding their Group Stage campaign on 24 January against DR Congo.
Group winners, runners-up, and the best four third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16.
A player in the final squad can only be replaced after a serious injury no less than 24 hours before the team’s first match.
Taifa Stars qualified for the tournament after finishing second in their qualifying group, behind Algeria.
The team will be making its third appearance in the continental competition, having previously participated in 1980, 2019, and 2023.
In the 2019 AFCON edition, the Tanzanian team failed to progress past the Group Stage, finishing fourth in their group behind Senegal, Algeria, and Kenya.
However, the team’s recent performances have been encouraging and will be hoping to train well and come up with better tactical plans to fine-tune preparations and build momentum for the tournament.
Here are the players that will represent Tanzania in the 2023 AFCON showdown:
Goalkeepers: Kwesi Kawawa (IFK Haninge/Sweden), Beno Kakolanya (Singida Fountain Gate FC), Aishi Manula (Simba SC)
Defenders: Ibrahim Hamad (Young Africans SC), Mohamed Hussein (Simba SC), Bakari Mwamnyeto (Young Africans SC), Dickson Job (Young Africans SC), Abdi Banda (Richards Bay/South Africa), Lusajo Mwaikenda (Azam FC), Miano Danilo (Villena CF/ Netherlands), Haji Mnoga (Aldershot Town/England), Abdulmalik Zakaria (Namungo FC), Novatus Miroshi (FC Shakhtar Donetsk/Ukraine)
Midfielders: Mzamiru Yassin (Simba SC), Sospeter Bajana (Azam FC), Mohamed Sagaf (Boreham Wood FC/England), Ben Starkie (Basford United/England), Tarryn Allarakhia (Wealdstone /England), Feisal Salum (Azam FC), Maurice Abraham (RFK Novi Sad/Serbia), Himid Mao (Tala'ea El Gaish/Egypt), Mudathir Yahya Abbas (Young Africans SC)
Forwards: Kibu Dennis (Simba SC), Simon Msuva (Unattached), Mbwana Samatta (PAOK/Greece), Cyprian Kachwele (White Caps/USA), Kokola Charles M’mombwa ( Macarthur FC/Australia)
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