Zanzibar national football team


The Zanzibar national football team is the national football team of Zanzibar and is controlled by the Zanzibar Football Association.

History

Zanzibar is not a member of FIFA and is therefore not eligible to enter the World Cup. The island is part of the nation of Tanzania, which holds FIFA recognition at the international level. Prior to the union of Zanzibar and Tanganyika in 1964, Zanzibar was a fully independent member of the Confederation of African Football, but never qualified for the African Nations Cup.
Zanzibar was a provisional member of the N.F.-Board. The team placed second in the 2006 FIFI Wild Cup tournament, losing 4–1 on penalties to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the final. For that tournament, they were coached by the German comedian Oliver Pocher.
Their U-20 team also played in the 2006 ELF Cup, finishing fourth of eight, winning one game and drawing twice before losing 5–0 to Northern Cyprus in the semifinal. They regularly play in the CECAFA Cup, which includes national teams from Central and East Africa, and in 1995 they became champions, winning the final match 1–0 against the host nation, Uganda. In the 2015 CECAFA Cup, they won by defeating Kenya 3–1.
In March 2017, Zanzibar were admitted to CAF, becoming its 55th member, only for their membership to be rescinded four months later, with CAF president Ahmad Ahmad claiming the region should never have been admitted as it is not a sovereign nation.

Competition records

Pre-CAF

Gossage Cup / CECAFA Cup

Zanzibar competed in the Gossage Cup from 1949 to 1967, when the competition was renamed to the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup:

CAF

In March 2017, Zanzibar were admitted to the Confederation of African Football, becoming eligible for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The invitation was rescinded in July when FIFA rules forbade two national teams from one country.

Africa Cup of Nations

Non-FIFA

Managers