Niger - Lesotho: Who can make a strong start to the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers?
In the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Niger will face Lesotho. The match will take place on Friday, September 25, kicking off at 5:00 PM CET, and I am offering a bet on it.
Niger - Lesotho: Match preview
Niger produced very good results in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. They collected 15 points and finished second in the table. However, this was not enough to reach the playoffs or the final round. After that, they played only friendly matches. The team played six games without winning any of them. Niger lost three times and drew three times. Now they will begin their qualifying campaign and try to finally reach the Africa Cup of Nations finals. The team last played at the tournament in 2013, and they will clearly want to end this unsuccessful run.
Lesotho have never reached the Africa Cup of Nations finals in their history. The team have never managed to qualify. During the previous qualifying campaign, Lesotho were drawn in a group with Morocco, Gabon and the Central African Republic. They finished third with four points and failed to qualify for the tournament. Lesotho also failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The team were placed in a very difficult group with South Africa, Nigeria and Benin. However, they collected 12 points, which was still not enough. Lesotho also had to make their way into these AFCON qualifiers through the preliminary round, where they beat Seychelles 2:1 on aggregate over two matches, and will now try to reach the finals.
Match facts and H2H
- Niger have failed to win in six consecutive matches: three defeats and three draws.
- Lesotho have won just once in their last six matches.
- Lesotho have failed to win away from home in five consecutive matches.
- Niger and Lesotho have never faced each other in a competitive head-to-head match.
Probable lineups
- Niger: Kassali, Djibo, Kassali, M'Baye, Abdouramane, Djingarey, Moussa, Assane, Danja, Adamou Gora, Goumey
- Lesotho: Moerane, Matlabe, Makhele, Matsau, Malane, Sefoli, Mokhachane, Toloane, Fothoane, Makateng, Motebang
Prediction
Niger had a very strong World Cup qualifying campaign and came close to reaching the next stage of the qualifiers. I think the team are capable of winning at home, and I am offering a bet on a Niger win at odds of 1.49.
