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Tanzanian Premier League

Founded	1921; 103 years ago (1921) (as "Dar es Salaam Football League") 1965; 59 years ago (1965) (as "National League")
Country	Tanzania
Confederation	Confederation of African Football
Number of clubs	16
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Championship
Domestic cup(s)	CRDB Bank Federation Cup
International cup(s)	CAF Champions League CAF Confederation Cup
Current champions	Young Africans (2023–24)
Most championships	Young Africans S.C (30 titles)
Top goalscorer	John Bocco (155 goals)
TV partners	Azam TV (live matches and highlights)
Website	ligikuu.co.tz
Current: 2024–25 Tanzanian Premier League

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

History

The league was first organized in Dar es Salaam in 1921 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

Competition

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

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.

International Competitions

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

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

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.

Clubs

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

Champions

Wins by year

Previous champions are:

Top goalscorers

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

All-time goalscorers

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

Assists

Season	Nat.	Player	Team	Assists
2021-22		Pape Sakho	Simba	6
2022-23		Clatous Chama	Simba	14
2023-24		Kipre Junior	Azam	9

Clean sheets

Season	Nat.	Goalskeeper	Team	Clean sheets
2022-23		Djigui Diarra	Yanga	14
2023-24		Ley Matampi	Coastal Union	15

References

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. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
5. "Tanzania - List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
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)

External links

• tff.or.tz; League website at association's website
• Page at fifa.com; League standings & results
• RSSSF competition history

v t e Football in Tanzania
Tanzania Football Federation
National teams	Men National team Olympic (U-23) U-20 U-17 Women National team U-20 U-17
League system	Men Premier League First Division League Second Division League Women W-Premier League
Domestic cups	Men Tanzania FA Cup Tanzania Community Shield
Awards	Footballer of the Year Top scorers
Lists	All-time Table Champions Clubs International footballers Foreign players Venues
Related articles	Maasai Football Federation
Men's clubs Women's clubs Men's players Women's players Expatriate players Managers Referees Venues Seasons Records

• Tanzanian Premier League
• Football leagues in Tanzania
• Top level football leagues in Africa
• Sports leagues established in 1965
• 1965 establishments in Tanzania