Sport in Tanzania

Filbert Bayi and Suleiman Nyambui both won track and field medals in the 1980 Summer Olympics. Tanzania competes in the Commonwealth Games as well as in the African Championships in Athletics.

Football is widely played all over the country with fans divided between two major clubs, Young Africans and Simba. Football is the most popular sport in Tanzania, despite the little success that has been achieved by the national team. To date, they have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup but have made two appearances in the African Cup of Nations, in 1980, as well as 2019. They finished last in their group in both occasions.

Basketball is also played but mainly in the army and schools. Hasheem Thabeet is a Tanzanian-born player with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the first Tanzanian to play in the NBA. Cricket is a rapidly growing sport in Tanzania after hosting the ICC Cricket League Division 4 in 2008; the national team finished the tournament with a win. Rugby is a minor sport in Tanzania. Tanzania now has a national team, which used to be part of the East Africa team, but was separated.