Central African Republic (CAR) and Lesotho will begin their quest for a place in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a historic clash at Stade El Abdi on Thursday evening. Kick-off is set for 3:00 pm GMT.
CAR enters their first Group B qualifier following a thrilling 4-3 defeat to Ghana in a CAF World Cup qualifying match on June 10. Despite this setback, CAR had a strong run prior to the Ghana match, securing three consecutive victories. These included a 6-0 win over Bhutan and a 4-0 triumph against Papua New Guinea in international friendlies in March, as well as a 1-0 win over Chad in World Cup qualifiers.
Lesotho, meanwhile, has struggled in recent fixtures, remaining winless in their last four matches. Their latest outing was a disappointing performance in the 2024 COSAFA Cup in July, where they failed to secure a victory in Group C, which included Namibia, Angola, and Seychelles. Lesotho’s last win came on June 7, when they defeated Zimbabwe 2-0 in a CAF World Cup qualifier at Orlando Stadium.
CAR’s head coach, Raoul Savoy, is expected to rely on Amiens striker Louis Mafouta, who scored a hat-trick against Ghana, to lead the attack. Savoy has also included Geoffrey Kondogbia and Brad Pirioua, both from French Ligue 1 club Marseille, in his squad.
Lesotho’s coach, Leslie Notsi, has selected eight players from South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) for this fixture, with notable inclusions like Thabo Makhele, Teboho Letsema, Motebang Sera, and Tlotliso Phatsisi.
This encounter will mark the first-ever meeting between Central African Republic and Lesotho.
