After a 4-0 victory in the first leg and a convincing outcome in the second leg, the Tanzania Mainland Premier League champions qualified on an 8-1 goal aggregate win. Both teams had agreed to play the return leg in Tanzania.
Ibrahim Kazimoto scored the opener in the 27th minute to give the home side the lead before a second-half brace by Selemani Mwalimu made it 3-0 for the unstoppable Yanga.
However, CFFA pulled a goal back after 75 minutes, but it was a mountain to climb for the Malagasy champions already.
Juma Issa Abushiri made it 4-1 for Young Africans in the 82nd minute as their supporters started celebrating their qualification to the group stage for the fourth time in a row.
By doing so, Young Africans also became the first Tanzanian club to reach the group phase in four consecutive seasons (2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26, and 2026/27).
Young Africans first entered the premier African club competition in the late 1960s, making back-to-back quarter-final runs in 1968/69 and 1969/70.
They will now comfortably wait for 15 more clubs to join them in the prestigious group phase, scheduled to kick off next November.
Simba SC secure huge advantage
In another CAF Champions League match played in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday, Simba SC humbled 15 de Agosto 6-1 in the delayed first leg of the second preliminary round.
Ibrahim Doumbia netted a brace, while Nathaniel Chilambo, Elie Mpanzu, Keletso Makgalwa and Anicet Alain Oura scored for the Tanzanian Premier League side. The Equatorial Guinean team netted a consolation goal in added time.
Speaking after the game, Simba coach Steve Barker warned against complacency as the team strives to complete the amazing job in the return leg slated for Sunday, October 25th, away in Equatorial Guinea.
“We scored very nice goals, obviously I think it is a good result, and a good scoreline, and Sunday we go again. We just want to keep our consistency, keep our level, never become complacent,” said Barker.
“We have to keep striving and be better in every game but it was a nice scoreline and a nice win for us.”
Simba has frequently reached the knock-out stages of the Champions League in recent years, including 2018/19, 2020/21, 2022/23, and 2023/24.
Meanwhile, Azam FC head coach Florent Ibenge has challenged his players to stay focused as they prepare for the return leg of the CAF Confederation Cup fixture against Egypt’s ZED FC on October 24th.
The Tanzanian side fought back to secure a valuable result at Cairo International Stadium on Friday, leaving the two teams level ahead of the return fixture scheduled at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam.
