Tanzania Aims to Upset Morocco in AFCON Knockout Clash
3 January 2026
Pre-match quotes from Mbwana Samatta
Mbwana Samatta, Tanzania's star, stressed the difficulty of Sunday's round-of-16 clash with Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations.
In a press conference, Samatta said, "We will do our best to overcome Morocco and reach the quarterfinals."
He added, "It would be great to beat Morocco, even though they are a strong side with a solid group of players."
He continued, "The Tanzania team is growing and developing, and we also look forward to competing with the tournament's traditional powers."
Samatta noted, "Our goal is to make the Tanzanian people proud, so we will try to perform strongly against Morocco."
Road to the knockout stage
The tie will be played on January 4, 2026 at 17:00 in the Africa Cup of Nations knockout stage as Morocco topped Group A with seven points to reach the last-16.
Meanwhile, Tanzania progressed to the Round of 16 by finishing third with two points, earning a place among the four best third-placed teams in the group stage.
The match up pits a Moroccan side on home soil against a Tanzanian squad hoping to pull off a historic upset in a tournament known for its drama.
The goal for Tanzania remains to make the fans back home proud and to show they can compete with football’s traditional powers.
Punchline 1: If courage had a bullet, Tanzania just loaded a full clip—and the target is the net, not the newsroom.
Punchline 2: They say football is a game of inches; this one might need a mile-marker, and Tanzania is chasing the intersection of hope and a miracle. Boom.
