The Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra will see Niger take on Lesotho on Friday in the opening round of Group A in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. The home side will be looking to secure their first win in almost a year and set the tone for the remainder of the qualifiers.
Niger won their final two games of the last qualifiers but had lost three of the previous four, resulting in a narrow elimination from a group containing Angola, Sudan and Ghana. The Ménas will therefore be keen to start this edition in much better form.
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The home side, whose last appearance at the AFCON came in the group stages of the 2013 edition, have recorded three draws and three defeats from their last six matches and will be looking to newly appointed head coach Nabil Neghiz to turn things around starting with his first match on Friday.
Qualifying for the upcoming AFCON will mean even more to Lesotho as they seek a first-ever appearance in the continental competition following their 2-1 aggregate win over Seychelles in the preliminary rounds of the qualifiers.
The Crocodiles managed just one win and one draw from six games in the last qualifiers and will be looking to produce a stronger display in a group containing Friday’s opponents, defending champions Morocco and Gabon.
Niger vs Lesotho Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two nations last met during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Lesotho won the first meeting 3-1 before Niger ran out 2-0 winners in the second.
- The Ménas have appeared in only two previous editions of the AFCON, exiting at the group stage on both occasions (2012 and 2013).
- Lesotho’s 1-0 victory over the Central African Republic in November 2024 remains their sole win across the last three editions of the AFCON qualifiers.
- Niger are ranked 114th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Lesotho are ranked 146th.
Niger vs Lesotho Prediction
Despite their recent struggles, Niger are comfortable favorites going into the weekend thanks to their much stronger squad, and they will only need to avoid complacency to claim all three points.
Lesotho face a mountain to climb if they are to avoid defeat when they make the trip to Ghana and will likely focus on keeping the scoreline close against a considerably stronger side.
Prediction: Niger 2-0 Lesotho
Niger vs Lesotho Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Result: Niger to win
Tip 2 – Goals – Over/under 2.5 – Under 2.5 goals (Each of the hosts’ last five games has produced fewer than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 – Both teams to score: No
Edited by Peter Pedroncelli