Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s U-20 women’s national football team, the Tanzanite Queens, depart today for Poland for the final phase of their preparations ahead of their historic appearance at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The team’s departure marks an important step in coach Bakari Shime’s preparations, with the squad set to continue training in Poland before the tournament kicks off on September 5. Tanzania qualified for the finals for the first time after overcoming Cameroon in the final round of the African qualifiers.
Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) national teams director Almasi Kasongo said the travelling squad will include players from Simba Queens and JKT Queens who had not been able to join the earlier camp because of their respective club commitments.
Kasongo said the players will join the delegation after completing all the required procedures, ensuring Shime has the full group available as preparations enter their decisive stage.
The Simba Queens players had been involved in the CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda, where they represented Tanzania in the regional competition. JKT Queens players, meanwhile, had been attending a special camp, commonly referred to as a special depot.
Their arrival is expected to strengthen a squad that already contains considerable domestic experience. Earlier in the World Cup qualifying campaign, JKT Queens supplied the largest number of players to the Tanzanite squad, while Simba Queens were also among the main contributors.
The Poland trip will also give Shime an opportunity to acclimatise his players to the conditions in the host country and work on tactical details before Tanzania's World Cup debut. Tanzania face a formidable challenge in Group B, which includes four-time champions Brazil, Canada and England. FIFA describes Tanzania as one of four African teams at the tournament, alongside Nigeria, Ghana and fellow debutants Benin.
The Tanzanite Queens will begin their campaign against Brazil on September 5 at Stadion Miejski Bielsko-Biała. They will then meet England on September 8 at the same venue before completing the group stage against Canada on September 11 at Arena Katowice. All three matches are scheduled for 3pm local time in Poland.
The opening assignment against Brazil is particularly demanding. Brazil are among the established powers of women's football and were drawn from Pot One, while Tanzania entered the draw in Pot Four as one of the tournament newcomers.
