Dar es-Salaam:Tanzanian giants Young Africans have made history by becoming the first club to secure a place in the 2026-2027 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League group stage. This achievement was solidified after they completed a dominant 4-1 victory over Madagascar's CFFA at the Azam Complex Stadium on Wednesday.
According to Confederation of African Football, Young Africans, popularly known as 'Yanga' among their fans, triumphed with an aggregate score of 8-1. They had previously won the first leg 4-0 at the same venue, with both fixtures taking place in Dar es-Salaam as agreed upon by both clubs.
With this victory, Young Africans will now await the addition of 15 more clubs to join them in the prestigious group phase, which is set to commence next November. The match saw Ibrahim Kazimoto score the opening goal for Yanga three minutes before the half-hour mark, bringing the aggregate score to 5-0 by halftime.
In the second half, Selemani Mwalimu quickly doubled the lead and then added another goal, securing his brace by the 53rd minute. While CFFA managed to score a consolation goal in the 75th minute, the challenge was insurmountable for the Malagasy side. Juma Issa Abushiri finalized the scoreline at 4-1 for Young Africans in the 82nd minute, a goal that sealed their qualification to the group stage for the fourth consecutive time.