CAF explains venue shift for the Simba vs RS Berkane final

Dar es Salaam. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the second leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2024/25 Final will not be held at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam as initially anticipated, citing time constraints in completing critical repairs and upgrades.

The final, scheduled for May 25, 2025, will instead be hosted at Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar, CAF said in a statement issued on Tuesday, May 20.

CAF noted that it had worked closely with the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) and other stakeholders, including the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, in a bid to enable Dar es Salaam’s national stadium to host the high-profile match.

“We appreciate the efforts and cooperation from the TFF, its President Wallace Karia, and the Government of Tanzania,” CAF said. “There were numerous engagements and assessments to support compliance with CAF regulations.”

However, an independent stadium assessment report, commissioned by CAF, concluded that essential renovations at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium could not be completed in time.

The decision to relocate the match to Zanzibar comes amid CAF’s broader goal, championed by its president Dr Patrice Motsepe, to ensure that each of the 54 member associations hosts matches at venues that are preferred locally and meet international standards.

“This policy is part of our vision to grow football at club and national level and help our member associations become self-sustaining,” CAF added.

Despite the change of venue, CAF remains confident in Tanzania’s preparedness to co-host the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024, alongside Kenya and Uganda. 

The tournament kicks off on August 2, 2025, and CAF reiterated its commitment to work with Tanzania to ensure all facilities — including Benjamin Mkapa Stadium — are fully compliant with CAF standards by then.