Tanzania Arrive in Ivory Coast Ahead of AFCON 2023 Showdown vs Achraf Hakimi’s Morocco

• Tanzania's football team have arrived in Ivory Coast ready for AFCON 2023 duty
• They are the sole East Africa representatives after Uganda's and Kenya's failures
• The three countries recently won the hosting rights for the 2027 edition

Tanzania's national football team, Taifa Stars, arrived in Ivory Coast on Monday evening ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The continental showpiece is set to begin this Saturday when the hosts take on Guinea Bissau at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan. Tanzania are the sole representatives of the East Africa region after they finished second in a group that had Algeria and neighbours Uganda.

Kenya were barred from the qualifiers after FIFA handed them an indefinite suspension for government interference in late 2021.

Tanzania's games at AFCON 2023

Tanzania have arrived in West Africa carrying the hopes of a region as they seek to win their first-ever match at the competition. Coached by former Harambee Stars tactician Adel Amrouche, they will have the toughest of starts when they face the World Cup semifinalists Morocco on January 17.

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Football

They will then play 2012 champions Zambia on January 21 before wrapping up their group stage campaign three days later against two-time champions DR Congo.

Tanzania wrapped up their preparation with a 2-0 loss to Egypt. Mohamed Salah set up Trezegeut for the opening goal before seeing his missed penalty ricochet off Aish Manula's body for the Pharaoh's second.

Tanzania's AFCON 2023 squad

Amrouche has gone with a rich squad of local-based players supplemented by the experience of captain Mbwana Samatta and the evergreen Saimon Msuva, among others.

Tanzania have only played in the 1980 and 2019 editions of the competitions so far, where they have played six times, losing five and drawing once.

Francis Kimanzi's AFCON prediction

Sports Brief reported when former coach of the Kenyan national team, Francis Kimanzi, made his prediction for the tournament.

Kimanzi said his pick to win the tournament is Senegal.

Kimanzi coached Harambee Stars in 2008 and 2011 before parting ways with the Football Kenya Federation (FKF).