THE Tanzanian women’s team from the Future Stars Academy in Arusha has secured second place in the international tournament for youth from underprivileged backgrounds, held from August 22–30 in Oslo, Norway, featuring 60 teams from 48 countries.

The team achieved this position after winning the Second Division final of the tournament against Austria with a 5–4 victory. The goals were scored by Loyce Dismas, Susan Michael, Varian Issa, and Sarah Jacob.

In the tournament, the overall women’s champion was Uganda, after defeating Romania in the first-division final. Kenya finished third after winning their third-division final against Mexico.

On the men’s side, Egypt won the overall championship, while Portugal triumphed in the Second Division and Poland in the Third Division. Tanzania was not represented by a men’s team.

The tournament, played with four-a-side teams, begins with a first group stage where first-place teams advance to the second round in Division One; second-place teams proceed to Division Two; and third-place teams go to Division Three.

In the second round, teams battle again until the finals of each division, with the Division One winner declared overall champion, the Division Two winner as overall runner-up, and the Division Three winner as overall third place. Tanzania won the Division Two final.

This competition is organized annually by the Homeless World Cup Foundation, headquartered in the Netherlands, in collaboration with the Salvation Army.

Tanzania’s ambassador accredited to the Nordic, Baltic, and Ukraine countries, Mobhare Matinyi, congratulated the young players for their victory and for flying the Tanzanian flag high - especially considering they competed with only four players and no substitutes.

This is the first time a Tanzanian team has participated in the tournament, which will be hosted next year in Mexico.