Tanzania chasing history against Burkina Faso in WAFCON 2026 decider
With three points in the bag already, Tanzania are looking to build on their well-deserved victory against South Africa as they look towards taking a step to the knockout stages of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 in Morocco.
Confidence amidst humility is what best describes the mood within the Twiga Stars camp ahead of their second Group B fixture against Burkina Faso on Friday night that could define the trajectory of women’s football in the East African country.
Tanzania, who are competing in only their third WAFCON, managed their first ever point in competition history in last year’s edition following a 1-1 draw with South Africa. They brought that experience into this year’s edition, this time winning 2-1 against the same side.
And now on the cusp of history, they come up against a desperate Burkina Faso side who lost 4-1 to their neighbours Côte d’Ivoire in the opener. And at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium on Friday night, Tanzania will treat the matchup as a final.
Bakari Shime comes of age
The Tanzanian tactician, who has been in charge of the Twiga Stars since 2018, has impacted discipline both on and off the pitch and built a fearless team that continues to write a new chapter in their rise and rise on the African continent.
A restructuring of their grassroots football has allowed them to develop their U17s and U20s since 2019 and it is that set of players who have grown into the core part of the squad.
From that Class of 2019 is Woman of the Match against South Africa – Diana Msewa whose dictation of play in the midfield gave Shime’s side a chance at three points with her first goal setting the tone of the game. But Shime is aware that South Africa and Burkina Faso are two completely different teams.
“We have great respect for Burkina Faso. Despite them losing the game to Côte d’Ivoire, they played well. They only conceded one goal in open play. The other three were set pieces. And despite being a player down, they still managed to score even with 10 players. So, we are ready to play against them and stay true to our style of play,” Shime explained in detail.
“We understand what is at stake for Tanzania. If we win this game, we shall automatically qualify to the quarterfinals but we know that it will be a tough game.
Tanzania’s poster girl Opa Clement highlighted the mood in the camp, “As players, we are happy with our first ever WAFCON victory. It means a lot to all of us. We came into the tournament with a set of objectives and one of them is to win every game that we play. We want to stay focused and locked in. We are highly motivated ahead of this game.”
Of Balbone’s confidence and never-give-up attitude
With a big smile on his face, Burkina Faso head coach Issa Balbone greeted everyone warmly at the start of his pre-match press conference before expressing disappointment with their first game; the infamous 4-1 loss to Côte d’Ivoire but emphasized that as a team they had to allow themselves to grieve but have since bounced back and are ready to stage a comeback.
With their first choice goalkeeper Faoziatou Ouedraogo suspended following her red card in the opener, the Lady Stallions have their work cut out. “After the loss, we had a short turn around time and we are now focusing on this second game so that we battle for our first points in the tournament.”
“Tanzania are fast with the ball so we shall try to adapt to their style of play and also bring with us our way of approaching the game. We are working hard to prepare correctly and to be in control of our destiny. We want the victory in this game,” Balbone emphasized.
In midfielder Judicaël Delwende Ouaba who features for Tanzanian topflight side Tausi FC, Balbone and the Lady Stallions have someone who can give them technical insight about Tanzanian Football in general and her teammate defender Edina Edson Makamba on the Tanzanian squad is the other Tausi FC player at the tournament.
Saudi Arabia-based Balkissa Sawadogom, who plies her trade at Al Yarmouk, depicted the mood in the camp as that of “a fighting spirit always ready to represent their country”.
The Stat of the Day
Tanzania are yet to keep a clean sheet at the WAFCON. All seven of their matches at the finals have produced goals and six of Tanzania’s seven WAFCON goals have been scored in the first half. Hasnath Ubamba’s 87th-minute winner against South Africa is their only second-half goal at the finals.
Meanwhile, six of the eight goals Burkina Faso have conceded at the WAFCON have come in the first half. Burkina Faso are still searching for their first ever WAFCON victory.