Yanga has successfully defended its Mainland Premier League title for the 2024–2025 season after a 2–0 victory over Simba in the Kariakoo Derby held on June 25, 2025, at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
This final match of the season determined the league champion due to a one-point gap between the teams before kickoff. Yanga needed only a draw or a win, as they led with 79 points, while Simba trailed closely with 78.
In the match, Pacome Zouzoua scored Yanga's first goal from the penalty spot in the 66th minute after being fouled in the box by Simba goalkeeper Moussa Camara. Clement Mzize added the second goal in the 86th minute.
Yanga finished the season with 82 points, having won 27 matches, drawn one, and lost two out of 30 games. This marks their 31st Premier League title since 1965. Simba finished second with 78 points, winning 25 matches, drawing three, and also losing two.
MZIZE SCORES HIS FIRST DERBY GOAL
Mzize’s goal in the 86th minute was his 14th in the Premier League this season but his first in a Kariakoo Derby since joining the club in the 2022–2023 season.
In his debut season (2022–2023), he was part of the championship-winning squad and contributed to six goals, scoring five and assisting one out of the team’s total of 61.
That season, Yanga reached the CAF Confederation Cup final, narrowly missing out on the title on the away goals rule to USM Alger of Algeria, after a 2–2 aggregate draw—losing 2–1 at home and winning 1–0 away.
In the 2023–2024 season, Mzize contributed to 13 goals—six goals and seven assists—out of 71 total team goals, helping Yanga secure its third consecutive league title with 80 points.
This current season has been his best so far, with 19 goal contributions (14 goals, 5 assists) out of the team’s 83 total goals, helping Yanga finish with 82 points.
HAMDI ECHOES OMOG’S LEGACY
Yanga head coach Miloud Hamdi has etched his name in the record books by leading the team to a Premier League title after joining mid-season, following a path similar to former Azam FC coach Joseph Marius Omog from Cameroon.
Hamdi, who holds dual Algerian and French nationality and a UEFA A coaching license, initially came to Tanzania to join Singida Black Stars on December 30, 2024. However, he didn’t manage any games for them before Yanga signed him officially on February 4, 2025.
He replaced German coach Sead Ramovic, who resigned by mutual agreement on February 4, 2025, after being appointed on November 15, 2024, from TS Galaxy in South Africa.
After Ramovic’s departure to CR Belouizdad of Algeria, Hamdi took over Yanga mid-season and led them to their fourth consecutive league title and 31st overall since 1965.
The match against Simba was Hamdi’s 13th league game in charge of Yanga, having won 12 and drawn one since taking over on February 4, 2025. His only draw was a 0–0 result against JKT Tanzania on February 10, 2025, at Meja Jenerali Isamuhyo Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Since that draw, Hamdi led Yanga to 12 straight wins, culminating in the league championship.
Hamdi’s achievement recalls the 2013–2014 season, when Azam FC won the league after starting the campaign with English coach Stewart Hall, who left mid-season. His replacement, Joseph Omog, came from AC Leopards (DR Congo), where he had won the CAF Confederation Cup, and went on to lead Azam FC to the league title—just as Hamdi has now done with Yanga.
SIMBA’S UNBEATEN RUN ENDS
Simba’s 2–0 loss not only continued their poor run against Yanga in league fixtures but also ended a long unbeaten streak. Prior to this match, Simba had gone 23 matches without defeat since their last loss—also to Yanga—on October 19, 2024.
During that run, Simba won 21 matches and drew two. Yanga’s latest win disrupted that momentum, ending Simba’s unbeaten streak on June 25, 2025, the same team that started and ended it.
YANGA REPEATS 2016–2017 FEAT
By securing the title on the final matchday this season, Yanga has repeated a historic feat last seen in the 2016–2017 season, when they also clinched the league title after a tightly contested race with Simba.
That season, Yanga topped the table with 68 points from 30 matches, with 21 wins, five draws, and four losses—exactly the same record as Simba. The title was decided by goal difference: Yanga scored 57 goals and conceded 14, while Simba scored 50 and conceded 17.
In the decisive final games of that season, Yanga beat Tanzania Prisons 2–0 on May 6, 2017, while Simba defeated African Lyon 2–1 a day later on May 7, 2017.
