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Tanzanian Premier League

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Tanzanian Premier League
Founded
  • 1921; 104 years ago (1921)[1]
    (as "Dar es Salaam Football League")
  • 1965; 60 years ago (1965) (as "National League")
CountryTanzania Tanzania
ConfederationTanzania Premier League Board
Number of clubs16
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toChampionship
Domestic cup(s)

FA Community Shield Mapinduzi Cup Muungano Cup

International cup(s)
Current championsYoung Africans
(2024–25)
Most championshipsYoung Africans S.C (31 titles)
Top goalscorerJohn Bocco
(155 goals)
Broadcaster(s)Azam TV
(live matches and highlights)
Websiteligikuu.co.tz
Current: 2024–25 Tanzanian Premier League

The Tanzania Mainland Premier League (Swahili: Ligi Kuu Tanzania Bara) is a top-level Tanzanian professional football league, governed by the TPLB.

History

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The league was first organized in Dar es Salaam in 1921[2] and by 1929 had six participants. In the 1930s, the league included street teams such as Arab Sports (Kariakoo) and New Strong Team (Kisutu), which primarily consisted of Arab and African players. The Sudanese community had a team that joined the league in 1941 although by the mid-1940s the team had split up. Other teams in the league's early history included the Khalsas, an exclusively Sikh team, and the Ilala Staff, a team of Ilalan residents.

In 1942, clubs from public institutions such as the Government School, Post Office, Railways SC, King's African Rifles SC, Police SC, and the Medical Department started to dominate the league. However, most teams disbanded in the aftermath of World War II, with many European players ceasing their participation in the league and their clubs. This included Gymkhana Club, Police Club, King's African Rifles, and Railways, who eventually withdrew from the league. Starting in the 1940s, they were replaced by African street teams such as Young Africans (Yanga) and Sunderland (known as Old Boys in 1942 and later renamed Simba in 1971), as well as the Goan's Club manned by Goans, and the Agha Khan Club by Ismaili Khojas.

From this period onwards, Yanga and Sunderland gradually became the most prominent clubs in Dar es Salaam. Yanga, founded in 1935, entered the first division and won four major cups in 1942. Sunderland joined the first division soon after Yanga and won four major trophies in 1946.

By 1955, the Dar es Salaam League had 38 registered clubs. It became the "National League" by 1965, incorporating most of the major teams in Tanzania. The name was later changed to the "First Division Soccer League" and later to the "Premier League" in 1997. Tanzania Breweries became the sponsor of the championship, after which the league was called the Tanzania Breweries League (TBL). The contract with Breweries was terminated in 2001 after a conflict with the Tanzania Football Association. In 2002, a contract was signed with the telecommunication company Vodacom, which lasted until 2009, after which they were renewed the same year.

Competition format

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Tanzanian Premier League match between Kagera Sugar and Mbeya City on 17 January 2015

Competition

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The Tanzanian Premier League (TPL) follows a typical double round-robin format with each team playing the other twice, home and away. Each win earns three points, a draw earns a point for both teams, and a loss earns zero points.

Promotion & Relegation

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The bottom two-placed teams are automatically demoted to the Championship and are replaced by the winners and runners-up from the championship. The third and fourth worst-ranked teams enter a play-off with the 3rd and 4th placed teams from the First Division.[3]

International Competitions

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Confederation of African Football (CAF) teams based in Tanzania compete in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.

Recent positive performances by TPL clubs in continental competitions have seen Tanzania rise in the CAF 5-year ranking. As a result, more teams from the league have had the opportunity to compete on the continental stage.

CAF Champions League

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The league champion qualifies for the CAF Champions League for the following season.

Starting in the 2021-22 season, the second-placed team from the previous season also qualifies for the CAF CL.

CAF Confederation Cup

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Since the 2015–16 season, the winner of the Tanzania FA Cup has qualified for the CAF Confederations Cup. This qualification place had previously been awarded only to the runner-up in the Premier League.

From the 2021-22 season onwards, the champions of the FA Cup and the third-placed team in the Premier League have also qualified for the tournament.

Club ranking for the CAF club season

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Main article: CAF 5-year ranking

Club ranking for the 2024–25 CAF club season

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The club ranking for the 2024–25 CAF Champions League and the 2024–25 CAF Confederation Cup is be based on results from each CAF club competition from the 2019–20 to the 2023–24 seasons.

Rank Club 2019–20
(× 1)		 2020–21
(× 2)		 2021–22
(× 3)		 2022–23
(× 4)		 2023–24
(× 5)		 Total
1 Egypt Al Ahly 6 6 5 6 6 87
2 Tunisia Espérance de Tunis 3 4 3 4 5 61
3 Morocco Wydad 4 4 6 5 2 60
4 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns 3 3 3 4 4 54
5 Egypt Zamalek 5 2 2 2 5 48
6 Morocco RS Berkane 5 1 5 0 4 42
7 Tanzania Simba 0 3 2 3 3 39
8 Angola Petro de Luanda 2 1 4 2 3 39
9 Democratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe 3 2 3 0.5 4 38
10 Algeria CR Belouizdad 0 3 3 3 2 37
11 Algeria USM Alger 1 0 0 5 3 36
12 Morocco Raja CA 4 5 3 3 0 35
13 Tanzania Young Africans S.C. 0 0 0 4 3 31
14 Ivory Coast ASEC Mimosas 0 0 1 3 3 30
15 Egypt Pyramids 4 3 2 2 1 29

Club ranking for the 2025–26 CAF club season

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The club ranking for the 2025–26 CAF Champions League and the 2025–26 CAF Confederation Cup is be based on results from each CAF club competition from the 2020–21 to the 2024–25 seasons.

Rank Club 2020–21
(× 1)		 2021–22
(× 2)		 2022–23
(× 3)		 2023–24
(× 4)		 2024–25
(× 5)		 Total
1 Egypt Al Ahly 6 5 6 6 4 78
2 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns 3 3 4 4 5 62
3 Tunisia Espérance de Tunis 4 3 4 5 3 57
4 Morocco RS Berkane 1 5 0 4 5 52
5 Tanzania Simba 3 2 3 3 4 48
6 Egypt Pyramids 3 2 2 1 6 47
7 Egypt Zamalek 2 2 2 5 2 42
8 Morocco Wydad AC 4 6 5 2 0 39
9 Algeria USM Alger 0 0 5 3 2 37
10 Algeria CR Belouizdad 3 3 3 2 2 36
11 Sudan Al-Hilal 1 2 2 2 3 34
12 Tanzania Young Africans 0 0 4 3 2 34
13 Ivory Coast ASEC Mimosas 0 1 3 3 2 33
14 Democratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe 2 3 0.5 4 1 30.5
15 South Africa Orlando Pirates 2 4 0 0 4 30

Qualification for CAF competitions

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Association ranking for the 2024–25 CAF club season

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The association ranking for the 2024–25 CAF Champions League and the 2024–25 CAF Confederation Cup is based on results from each CAF club competition from 2019–20 to the 2023–24 season.

Legend
  • CL: CAF Champions League
  • CC: CAF Confederation Cup
  • ≥: Associations points might increase on basis of its clubs performance in 2023–24 CAF club competitions
  •   Associations ranked 1–12 are eligible to enter two teams in each CAF club competition.
Rank Association 2019–20
(× 1)		 2020–21
(× 2)		 2021–22
(× 3)		 2022–23
(× 4)		 2023–24
(× 5)		 Total
2024 2023 Mvt CL CC CL CC CL CC CL CC CL CC
1 2 +1 +1  Egypt 11 6 8 3 7 4 8 2.5 7 7 184
2 1 -1 -1  Morocco 8 8 4 6 9 5 8 2 2 4 148
3 3 - —  Algeria 3 1 6 5 7 1 6 5 2 3 119
4 4 - —  South Africa 3 0.5 8 2 5 4 4 3 4 1.5 106
5 5 - —  Tunisia 6 0 4 3 5 1 4 2 6 1 97
6 6 - —  Tanzania 0 0 3 0.5 0 2 3 4 6 0 71
7 7 - —  DR Congo 4 1 4 0 0 3 1 2 4 0 54
8 8 - —  Angola 4 0 1 0 5 0 2 0 3 1.5 51.5
9 9 - —  Sudan 2 0 3 0 3 0 3 0 2 0 39
10 11 +1 +1  Libya 0 2 0 0.5 0 5 0 0.5 0 3 35
11 13 +2 +2  Ivory Coast 0 0.5 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 0 30.5
12 12 - —  Nigeria 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 25

Association ranking for the 2025–26 CAF club season

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The association ranking for the 2025–26 CAF Champions League and the 2025–26 CAF Confederation Cup will be based on results from each CAF club competition from 2020–21 to the 2024–25 season.

Legend
  • CL: CAF Champions League
  • CC: CAF Confederation Cup
  • ≥: Associations points might increase on basis of its clubs performance in 2024–25 CAF club competitions
  •   Associations ranked 1–12 are eligible to enter two teams in each CAF club competition.
Rank Association 2020–21
(× 1)		 2021–22
(× 2)		 2022–23
(× 3)		 2023–24
(× 4)		 2024–25
(× 5)		 Total
2025 2024 Mvt CL CC CL CC CL CC CL CC CL CC
1 1 - —  Egypt 8 3 7 4 8 2.5 7 7 10 4 190.5
2 2 - —  Morocco 4 6 9 5 8 2 2 4 5 5 142
3 4 +1 +1  South Africa 8 2 5 4 4 3 4 1.5 9 3 131
4 3 -1 -1  Algeria 6 5 7 1 6 5 2 3 5 5 130
5 6 +1 +1  Tanzania 3 0.5 0 2 3 4 6 0 2 4 82.5
6 5 -1 -1  Tunisia 4 3 5 1 4 2 6 1 3 0.5 82.5
7 8 +1 +1  Angola 1 0 5 0 2 0 3 1.5 2 2 55
8 7 -1 -1  DR Congo 4 0 0 3 1 2 4 0 2 0 45
9 9 - —  Sudan 3 0 3 0 3 0 2 0 3 0 41
10 11 +1 +1  Ivory Coast 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 0 1 2 38
11 10 -1 -1  Libya 0 0.5 0 5 0 0.5 0 3 0 0 24
12 12 - —  Nigeria 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 21

Clubs

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Starting from the 2018–19 season, the league was composed of 20 teams, which was further lowered to 18 in 2020 and then 16 in 2021.

2023-2024 season clubs

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class=notpageimage|
Location of clubs in Tanzania for the 2023–24 Tanzanian Premier League season

Champions

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Wins by year

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Previous champions are:[4]

Years Champions
1965 Sunderland
1966
1967 Cosmopolitans (1)
1968 Young Africans
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973 Simba
1974 Young Africans
1975 Mseto Sports (1)
1976 Simba
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981 Young Africans
1982 Pan African (1)
1983 Young Africans
1984 KMKM FC (1)
1985 Maji Maji
1986
1987 Young Africans
1988 African Sports (1)
1989 Malindi
1990 Pamba (1)
1991 Young Africans
1992 Malindi (2)
1993 Simba
1994
1995
1996 Young Africans
1997
1998 Maji Maji (3)
1999 Prisons (1)
2000 Young Africans
2001 Simba
2002
2003 Not awarded
2004 Simba
2005 Young Africans
2006
2007 Simba
2007–08 Young Africans
2008–09
2009–10 Simba
2010–11 Young Africans
2011–12 Simba
2012–13 Young Africans
2013–14 Azam (1)
2014–15 Young Africans
2015–16
2016–17
2017–18 Simba
2018–19
2019–20
2020–21
2021–22 Young Africans (31)
2022–23
2023–24
2024–25

Titles by team

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Club Wins[5]
Young Africans 31
Simba (includes Sunderland) 21
Maji Maji 3
Malindi 2
African Sports 1
Pan African 1
Azam 1
Cosmopolitans 1
Mseto Sports 1
Pamba 1
KMKM 1

Top goalscorers

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Season Nat. Best scorers Team Goals
1997 Tanzania Mohamed Hussein "Mmachinga" Young Africans 26
2004 Tanzania Abubakar Ally Mkangwa Mtibwa Sugar
2005 Tanzania Abdallah Juma 25
2006 n/a n/a
2007 Tanzania Mashiku SC United ] 17
2007–08 Tanzania Michael Katende Kagera Sugar
2008–09 Kenya Boniface Ambani Young Africans 18
2009–10 Tanzania Musa Hassan Mgosi Simba 18
2010–11 Tanzania Mrisho Ngasa Azam 18
2011–12 Tanzania John Raphael Bocco 19
2012–13 Ivory Coast Kipre Tchetche 17
2013–14 Burundi Amissi Tambwe Simba 19
2014–15 Tanzania Simon Msuva Young Africans 17
2014–15 Tanzania Abdulrahman Mussa Ruvu Shooting 17
2015–16 Burundi Amissi Tambwe Young Africans 21
2016–17 Tanzania Simon Msuva 14
2017–18 Uganda Emmanuel Okwi Simba 20
2018–19 Rwanda Meddie Kagere 23
2019–20 Rwanda Meddie Kagere 22
2020–21 Tanzania John Bocco 16[6]
2021–22 Tanzania George Mpole Geita Gold 17[7]
2022–23 Democratic Republic of the Congo Fiston Mayele Young Africans 17[8]
Burundi Saidi Ntibazonkiza Simba
2023-24 Burkina Faso Stephane Aziz Ki Young Africans 21
20224–25 Ivory Coast Jean Charles Ahoua Simba 16

All-time goalscorers

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Rank Player Goals Years
1 Tanzania John Bocco 155 2008
2 Uganda Emmanuel Okwi 97 2009-2019

Assists

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Season Nat. Player Team Assists
2021-22 Senegal Pape Sakho Simba 6
2022-23 Zambia Clatous Chama 14
2023-24 Ivory Coast Kipre Junior Azam 9
2024-25 Tanzania Feisal Salum 13

Clean sheets

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Season Nat. Goalskeeper Team Clean sheets
2022-23 Mali Djigui Diarra Yanga 14
2023-24 Democratic Republic of the Congo Ley Matampi Coastal Union 15
2024-25 Guinea Moussa Camara Simba 19

References

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  1. ^ "Tanzania – List of champions". RSSSF.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  2. ^ Football, in Tanzania (18 November 2008). "POPULAR MUSIC, SPORTS, AND POLITICS: A DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN CULTURAL MOVEMENTS IN DAR ES SALAAM, the 1930s-1960s" (PDF). TSURUTA, Tadasu. POPULAR MUSIC, SPORTS, AND POLITICS: A DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN CULTURAL MOVEMENTS IN DAR ES SALAAM, the 1930s–1960s. African Study Monographs 2003, 24(3): 195–222. 24 (3): 206. doi:10.14989/68221. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  3. ^ "About the Premier League". Tanzania Football Federation. 26 February 2010. Archived from the original on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  4. ^ "Tanzania – List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  5. ^ "Tanzania - List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  6. ^ "Table of top scorers Tanzania Premier League 2021". www.besoccer.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Table of top scorers Tanzania Premier League 2022". www.besoccer.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  8. ^ "Wafungaji bora NBC Premier League 2022/2023 Top Scorers". https://wasomiajira.com/. 9 June 2023. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
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