Tanzania’s women’s national handball team made an emphatic start to the International Handball Federation (IHF) Africa Zone Five competition, thrashing Djibouti 54-14 in their opening match at Filbert Bayi Secondary School grounds in Kibaha, Coast Region.
The hosts dominated the encounter, played on November 4, 2026, to register a convincing 40-goal victory and give their campaign an early boost.
A large crowd of supporters and handball stakeholders turned up to witness the match, with Tanzania rewarding the home support with an impressive performance.
Head coach Salum Rashid attributed the victory to the players’ discipline and their ability to follow instructions from the technical bench.
Speaking after the match, Rashid said the result had lifted the team’s morale as they turned their attention to their next challenge against Rwanda on November 6.
“I congratulate the players for displaying a good performance and securing the victory. However, the technical bench has identified some weaknesses that we will work on as we prepare for the next match,” he said.
He said the team would use the preparations ahead of the Rwanda encounter to address the shortcomings identified against Djibouti and improve its performance.
Tanzania’s next match is expected to provide a tougher test as the team seeks to maintain its winning momentum in the competition.
Meanwhile, the tournament continues today, November 5, with two matches scheduled to start at 5.30pm.
Ethiopia will face Kenya in the opening fixture before Djibouti take on Rwanda in the second match of the day.