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Central African Republic and Lesotho meet at the Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium in El Jadida, Morocco on Thursday in their opening game of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The sides have been drawn alongside Morocco and Gabon in Group B.
Ranked 128th in the world, the Central African Republic is looking to make their AFCON debut in next year's edition and finally end years of disappointment. Their form this year holds them in good stead too, as they have won three of their four official games so far.
However, their winning run was ended by Ghana when the West African giants inflicted a 4-3 loss upon them in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Head coach Raoul Savoy has named 23 players for this month's double-header against Lesotho and Gabon, including star midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia. Rising star Tieri-Teddy Godame, who has three goals in four games for the Wild Beasts, has also been summoned.
On the other hand, Lesotho are also looking to make their AFCON debut at the Moroccan showpiece next year. The Crocodiles have kept themselves busy with a series of games this year, but they have produced mixed results.
In 10 official games, the southern African nation have won just twice and lost five times, including their most recent two, coming against Namibia and Angola in the 2024 COSAFA Cup.
Central African Republic vs Lesotho Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- Interestingly, this is the first official clash between the sides in history.
- The Central African Republic have played four official games this year, winning three in a row before losing 4-3 to Ghana in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. They've scored a total of 14 goals, including two hat-tricks (by Tierri-Teddy Godame and Louis Mafouta).
- Lesotho are winless in their last four official games, losing thrice.
- The Central African Republic are ranked 128th in the world, while Lesotho are in 149th position.
Central African Republic vs Lesotho Prediction
Central African Republic have been surprisingly good attacking-wise this year, with two of their players even bagging a hat-trick. The Wild Beasts will be looking to continue their barnstorming run against the struggling Lesotho, whose defense has looked fragile lately.
Prediction: Central African Republic 3-1 Lesotho
Central African Republic vs Lesotho Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Central African Republic to win
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
