CAR & Lesotho eye first ever Afcon qualification

Both Central African Republic and Lesotho are hoping to qualify for the upcoming African Cup of Nations tournament for the first time in their history when they undergo their initial Group B qualifier at Stade El Abdi on Thursday evening.

Kick-off is at 5:00pm (CAT, GMT+2)

Current form

CAR head into their first Group B 2025 Afcon qualifier on the back of an eventful 4-3 defeat against Ghana in a CAF World Cup qualifying fixture that took place on the 10th of June.

Prior to their encounter against the Black Stars, CAR went on a three-match winning streak that included a 6-0 victory against Bhutan and a 4-0 win over Papua New Guinea in International Friendlies that was scheduled in March.

Following their International Friendly assignments, Raoul Savoy’s side also bagged a 1-0 win against Chad in a CAF World Cup qualifying tie.

Lesotho on the other hand, are winless in their last four matches across the board and recently participated in the 2024 COSAFA Cup in July.

Likuena were pitted alongside Namibia, Angola and Seychelles in Group C at the COSAFA Cup and bowed out of the competition without a single victory to their name.

Currently under the tutelage of Leslie Notsi, Lesotho last tasted victory on the 7th of June, where they jotted down a 2-0 win against Zimbabwe in a CAF World Cup qualifier at the Orlando Stadium.

Team news

Les Fauves are expected to give Amiens striker Louis Mafouta the nod in attack on Thursday, especially after the French Ligue 2 star netted an impressive hat-trick against Ghana last time out.

Savoy also called on the services of Geoffrey Kondogbia and Brad Pirioua for their upcoming list of Afcon qualifiers, with both midfielders plying their trade for French Ligue 1 outfit Marseille.

As for Lesotho, Notsie listed eight players from South Africa’s PSL in his latest squad selection, most notably that of Thabo Makhele, Teboho Letsema, Motebang Sera and Tlotliso Phatsisi

Head-to-head

This will be the first meeting between the two nations