Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Tanzania welcome Benin to their Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in the 2022 World Cup qualifier. Tanzania kicked off their qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw with D.R. Congo, with the team beating Madagascar 3-2 in their second group game. The Tafa Stars aim to retain top position in the standings, and they are surely capable of beating Benin in front of home fans.
A man to watch in the home team will be winger Mbwana Samatta, who came as a substitute in Antwerp’s 1-0 win over ten-man Gent at the weekend. Benin, on the other hand, have collected four points in the process as well. Brest attacker Steve Mounie is widely expected to lead the line for the visitors, but we are tempted to put our money on Tanzania, who are a real force to be reckoned with at home.
Highlighted Player (Mbwana Samatta):
Born in Dar Es Salaam on December 23, 1992, Mbwana Samatta is a Tanzania striker who plays for Genk in the Belgian Jupiler League. Samatta began his youth career at African Lyon and he played his first game at senior level for Simba SC, the club from his homeland.
In 2011 he moved to TP Mazembe and after scoring 60 goals in 103 league games for the club, the Tanzania international signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Genk. On August 23, 2018 Samatta scored a hat-trick against Brondby in the Europa League.
Speaking of his international debut, Samatta made his Tanzania debut in March, 2011 in a 2-1 win over Central African Republic. It has to be noted that the Genk attacker was named African Player of the Year (based in Africa) in 2015. His main position is centre-forward, but is capable of playing as a winger as well. His contract with Genk should expire on June 30, 2020.
Highlighted Team (Benin):
Benin are the African football team that were known as Dahomey national football team until 1975. The Squirrels have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals, but they will compete for the fourth time at the Africa Cup of Nations at the tournament in Egypt 2019.
Oumar Tchomogo’s team were grouped with the likes of Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Cameroon in the group stages of the competition. Benin’s home kit is predominantly yellow, whilst they wear green shirts, green shorts and red socks when playing on the travels. The African side recorded their biggest win on December 27, 1961, with the team beating Mauritania 7-0 under the name of Dahomey.
Two years earlier, though, they were crushed by Nigeria 10-1, which is considered their biggest ever loss on the international stage. Benin usually host their rivals at Stade de l’Amitie, the venue with the capacity of 20,000. The Squirrels played their first ever international game on November 8, 1959, with the team suffering a 1-0 loss to Nigeria.