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Zanzibar national football team
Men's national association football team representing Zanzibar
Men's national association football team representing Zanzibar
| Field | Value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Zanzibar | ||||
| Badge | Zanzibar Football Association.svg | ||||
| Badge_size | 170px | ||||
| Association | Zanzibar Football Federation (ZFF) | ||||
| Coach | Vacant | ||||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||||
| Sub-confederation | CECAFA | ||||
| (Central & East Africa) | |||||
| Home Stadium | Amaan Stadium | ||||
| Most caps | Suleiman Selembe (32) | ||||
| Top scorer | Abdallah Juma Ally (9) | ||||
| FIFA Trigramme | ZAN | ||||
| Elo Rank | |||||
| Elo max | 90 | ||||
| Elo max date | 1947 | ||||
| Elo min | 171 | ||||
| Elo min date | November 1992 | ||||
| pattern_la1 | _zanzibar2122h | ||||
| pattern_b1 | _zanzibar2122h | ||||
| pattern_ra1 | _zanzibar2122h | ||||
| pattern_sh1 | _zanzibar2122h | ||||
| pattern_so1 | _zanzibar2122h | ||||
| pattern_la2 | _zanzibar2021a | ||||
| pattern_b2 | _zanzibar2021a | ||||
| pattern_ra2 | _zanzibar2021a | ||||
| pattern_sh2 | _zanzibar2021a | ||||
| pattern_so2 | _zanzibar2021a | ||||
| leftarm2 | 00AA00 | ||||
| body2 | 00AA00 | ||||
| rightarm2 | 00AA00 | ||||
| shorts2 | DDD | ||||
| socks2 | DDD | ||||
| First game | |||||
| Largest win | Unofficial | ||||
| 6–0 | |||||
| (Arbil, Iraq; 4 June 2012) | |||||
| Official | |||||
| 4–0 | |||||
| (Mumias, Kenya; 29 November 2009) | |||||
| Largest loss | 10–0 | ||||
| (Nairobi, Kenya; 4 October 1961) | |||||
| Regional name | VIVA World Cup | ||||
| Regional cup apps | 1 | ||||
| Regional cup first | 2012 | ||||
| Regional cup best | Third place (2012) | ||||
| 2ndRegional name | CECAFA Cup | ||||
| 2ndRegional cup apps | 35 | ||||
| 2ndRegional cup first | 1973 | ||||
| 2ndRegional cup best | Champions (1995) | ||||
| 3rdRegional cup apps | 2 | 3rdRegional name=FIFI Wild Cup / ELF Cup | 3rdRegional cup first=2006 | 3rdRegional cup best=FIFI Wild Cup: Runners-up | |
| (2006) | |||||
| ELF Cup: Fourth place<br />(2006)<br /> | 4thRegional cup apps | 4thRegional name= | 4thRegional cup first= | 4thRegional cup best= |
the men's team
| Sub-confederation = CECAFA (Central & East Africa) 6–0 (Arbil, Iraq; 4 June 2012) Official 4–0 (Mumias, Kenya; 29 November 2009) (Nairobi, Kenya; 4 October 1961) (2006)
ELF Cup: Fourth place (2006) The Zanzibar national football team represents Zanzibar in international football and is controlled by the Zanzibar Football Federation.
History
Zanzibar is not a member of FIFA and is therefore not eligible to enter the World Cup. The island is part of the nation of the United Republic of Tanzania, which holds FIFA recognition at the international level. Prior to the union of Zanzibar and Tanganyika in 1964, Zanzibar was a fully independent member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), but never qualified for the African Nations Cup.
Zanzibar was a provisional member of the N.F.-Board. The team placed second in the 2006 FIFI Wild Cup tournament, losing 4–1 on penalties to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the final. For that tournament, they were coached by the German comedian Oliver Pocher.
Their U-20 team also played in the 2006 ELF Cup, finishing fourth of eight, winning one game (1–0 against Kyrgyzstan's national football team) and drawing twice (against Gagauzia and Greenland) before losing 5–0 to Northern Cyprus in the semifinal. They regularly play in the CECAFA Cup, which includes national teams from Central and East Africa, and in 1995 they became champions, winning the final match 1–0 against the host nation, Uganda.
In March 2017, Zanzibar were admitted to CAF, becoming its 55th member, only for their membership to be rescinded four months later, with CAF president Ahmad Ahmad claiming the region should never have been admitted as it is not a sovereign nation.
Zanzibar won their first international trophy since 1995 with the 2025 Mapinduzi Cup after defeating Burkina Faso 2–1 in the final.
Results and fixtures
2025
- Salum
- Sagne
- Khatib
- Hilika
- Cheda
- Traore
2026
Coaching history
- ROU Gheorghe Dungu (1972–1974)
- GER Oliver Pocher (2005–2006)
- EGY Abdel-Fattah Abbas (2006–2008)
- SEN Souleymane Sané (2008–2011)
- ENG Stewart Hall (2010)
- TZAHemed "Morocco" Suleiman (2017–2021)
- ZAN Hababuu Ali Omar (2021–2023)
Notable players
- Zanzibar Ally Badru – played for El Qanah Egypt and Al Bashaer Oman
Records
:Players in bold are still active with Zanzibar.
Most appearances
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suleiman Selembe | 32 | 5 | 2009–2019 |
| 2 | Aggrey Morris | 30 | 6 | 2004–2012 |
| 3 | Nadir Haroub | 28 | 1 | 2005–2015 |
| 4 | Abdulghani Gulam Abdallah | 18 | 1 | 2009–2012 |
| Khamis Mcha Khamis | 18 | 5 | 2007–2015 | |
| 6 | Ally Mwadini | 17 | 0 | 2009–2015 |
| 7 | Soud Abdallah Juma | 14 | 1 | 2002–2007 |
| Abdi Kassim | 14 | 2 | 2002–2010 | |
| 9 | Abdallah Juma Ally | 13 | 9 | 2002–2007 |
| 10 | Issa Haidar Dau | 11 | 0 | 2015–present |
| Mwinyi Mngwali | 11 | 0 | 2015–present | |
| Waziri Omar | 11 | 0 | 2009–2013 | |
| Nassor Said | 11 | 0 | 2009–2013 | |
| Mudathir Yahya | 11 | 1 | 2015–present |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abdallah Juma Ally | 9 | 13 | 2002–2007 | |
| 2 | Aggrey Morris | 6 | 30 | 2004–2012 | |
| 3 | Khamis Mcha Khamis | 5 | 18 | 2007–2015 | |
| Suleiman Selembe | 5 | 32 | 2009–2019 | ||
| 5 | Alek Mohammed | 2 | 1 | 2006 | |
| Ali Shiboli | 2 | 2 | 2010 | ||
| Kassim Suleiman Khamis | 2 | 3 | 2017–present | ||
| Ahmed Ali Mkweche | 2 | 4 | 2005–2007 | ||
| Khamis Mussa Makame | 2 | 7 | 2017–present | ||
| Salum Ussi | 2 | 7 | 2002–2006 | ||
| Mohammed Juma | 2 | 8 | 2017–present | ||
| Abdulaziz Makame | 2 | 9 | 2017–present | ||
| Abdi Kassim | 2 | 14 | 2002–2010 |
Competition records
CECAFA Cup
Zanzibar competed in the Gossage Cup from 1949 to 1967, when the competition was renamed to the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup:
| Gossage Cup record | Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Total | Runners-up | 20/37 | 41 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 37 | 141 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanganyika 1947 | Fourth Place | 4th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 1948 | Third Place | 3rd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Zanzibar 1949 | Fourth Place | 4th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 1950 | Fourth Place | 4th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Tanganyika 1951 | Third Place | 3rd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 1952 | Third Place | 3rd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Zanzibar 1953 | Third Place | 3rd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 1954 | Fourth Place | 4th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Tanganyika 1955 | Third Place | 3rd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | ||||||||||
| Uganda 1956 | Third Place | 3rd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Zanzibar 1957 | Third Place | 3rd | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 1958 | Fourth Place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Tanganyika 1959 | Runners-Up | 2nd | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 1960 | Fourth Place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 1961 | Fourth Place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 15 | ||||||||||
| 1962 | Fourth Place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 1963 | Fourth Place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Tanzania 1964 | Fourth Place | 4th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 1965 | Fourth Place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | ||||||||||
| ZAN 1966 | Fourth Place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup record | Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D * | L | GF | GA | Total | Third place | 5/5 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 41 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya 1967 | Third Place | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Tanzania 1968 | Fourth Place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 1969 | Fourth Place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | ||||||||||
| ZAN 1970 | Third Place | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 1971 | Fourth Place | 4th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| CECAFA Cup record | Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D * | L | GF | GA | Total | 1 title | 36/40 | 124 | 29 | 32 | 63 | 100 | 184 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uganda 1973 | Group stage | 5th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Tanzania 1974 | Third place | 3rd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Zambia 1975 | Group stage | 6th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||
| ZAN 1976 | Group stage | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Somalia 1977 | Group stage | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Malawi 1978 | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||||
| Kenya 1979 | Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Sudan 1980 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Tanzania 1981 | Group stage | 8th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 1982 | Fourth place | 4th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 1983 | Group stage | 8th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 1984 | Group stage | 8th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Zimbabwe 1985 | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||||
| Ethiopia 1987 | Fourth slace | 4th | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Malawi 1988 | Group stage | 7th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 1989 | Group stage | 6th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| ZAN 1990 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 1991 | Group stage | 7th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Tanzania 1992 | Group stage | 8th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 1994 | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||||
| Uganda 1995 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Sudan 1996 | Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Rwanda 1999 | Group stage | 10th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 2000 | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||||
| Rwanda 2001 | Group stage | 10th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Tanzania 2002 | Group stage | 7th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Sudan 2003 | Group stage | 5th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Ethiopia 2004 | Group stage | 7th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 11 | ||||||||||
| Rwanda 2005 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Ethiopia 2006 | Group stage | 9th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Tanzania 2007 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 2008 | Group stage | 8th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 2009 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Tanzania 2010 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Tanzania 2011 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 2012 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 2013 | Group stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Ethiopia 2015 | Group stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Kenya 2017 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Uganda 2019 | Group stage | 8th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Africa Cup of Nations
In March 2017, Zanzibar were admitted to the Confederation of African Football, becoming eligible for the Africa Cup of Nations. The invitation was rescinded in July when FIFA rules forbade two teams from one nation.
Non-FIFA tournaments
World tournaments
| World tournaments record | Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | FIFI Wild Cup and ELF Cup | VIVA World Cup | CONIFA World Football Cup | Total | Third place | 3/10 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 28 | 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Runners-up | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Northern Cyprus 2006 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 9 | |||||||||||||
| Occitania 2006 | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sápmi 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Padania 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Gozo 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Kurdistan 2012 | Third Place | 3rd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Sapmi 2014 | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Abkhazia 2016 | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Barawa 2018 |
Honours
Regional
Non-FIFA competitions
- FIFI Wild Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2006
- Viva World Cup
- Third place (1): 2012
Friendly
- Mapinduzi Cup
- Champions (1): 2025
;Notes:
- Shared titles.
References
References
- (16 March 2017). "Zanzibar admitted as full member of African soccer body". Indian Express.
- (21 July 2017). "Zanzibar loses Caf membership in embarrassing U-turn". British Broadcasting Corporation.
- (13 January 2025). "Zanzibar stop Burkina Faso to win Mapinduzi Cup". CECAFA.
- "Huyu ndiye Ali Badru: Straika aliyekimbia vurugu Misri akiamini Simba itampeleka Ulaya".
- (21 March 2021). "Badru mchezaji bora wa Februari Ligi Kuu Zanzibar". mwanachi.co.tz.
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