Tanzania is located in the East African region in the area known as the African Great Lakes. Tanzania is known for the Kilimajaro Mountain, the highest peak in all of Africa.

As with most of Africa, Tanzania is known for their runners. Suleiman Nyambui and Filbert Bayi, two of the biggest names in Tanzanian Track and Field, both won Olympic medals for the country in 1980. Tanzania is also a powerhouse in the Commonwealth Games and the African Championships in Athletics.

Football is another sport that enjoys a large fan base in the country. It is very popular among the youth, this despite the fact that their national team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup and was less than stellar in their single appearance in the 1980 African Cup of Nations.

Basketball is also quite popular but is played mostly in schools and in the army. Hasheem Thabeet, who plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the US National Basketball Association, is the first Tanzanian-born player to join the NBA. Cricket's popularity is also growing fast mainly after they hosted the 2008 ICC Cricket League division 4. Rugby is also slowly growing in Tanzania and used to be a part of the East Africa team. The home of Rugby in Tanzania, Arusha, also was the staging place for the 2007 Castel Beer Trophy competition.

Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Tanzania. Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let us know.

Popular sports of Tanzania

  • Track and Field (running), Football (Soccer), basketball, cricket, netball, rugby union

Tanzania Sporting Success

  • 2 silver medals at the 1980 Moscow Olympics: Filbert Bayi (men's 3,000m steeplechase) and Suleiman Nyambui (men's 5,000m)
  • Gold medal at the 1974 Commonwealth Games: Filbert Bayi (men's 1500m, in a world record time, beating New Zealand's John Walker)
  • Gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games: Samson Ramadhani (men's marathon)

Great athletes from Tanzania

  • Hasheem Thabeet (basketball)
  • Filbert Bayi (athletics)
  • Juma Ikangaa (marathon)
  • Samson Ramadhani (marathon)

Tanzania Sports trivia

  • At the first Cricket World Cup in England 1975, a team from East Africa competed, which included players from Tanzania.

Tanzania at major events

Past sporting events hosted in Tanzania

  • 2008 ICC Cricket League Division 4
  • 2012 and 2024 CECAFA Kagame Cup (club football)
  • 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN), co-hosted with Kenya and Uganda, played 2 August to 30 August 2025 — the biggest sporting event Tanzania has ever hosted, with the opening match at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam

Upcoming sporting events in Tanzania

  • 2027 African Cup of Nations (Football) - co-host with Kenya and Uganda
  • 2026 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers, Tanzania, 15-24 September 2026

Annual sporting events held in Tanzania

  • CECAFA Kagame Cup — regional club football tournament that Tanzania has hosted multiple times, most recently in 2024

Sporting Facilities in Tanzania

  • Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Dar es Salaam — capacity 60,000, Tanzania's national stadium and largest venue, opened 2007, home of the national football team and top clubs Simba and Young Africans
  • Uhuru Stadium, Dar es Salaam — capacity around 23,000, the former national stadium, currently being renovated ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations
  • New Amaan Complex, Zanzibar — renovated for the 2024/25 CAF Confederation Cup final and the 2025 CHAN tournament