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Lesotho and Benin lock horns at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Ranked 153rd in the world, Lesotho have never qualified for any major tournament before. In their opening game of the World Cup qualifier, the Crocodiles were held to a 1-1 draw by Nigeria.
Motlomelo Mkhwanazi put them in front after 56 minutes, but Semi Ajayi equalized for the Super Eagles after 11 minutes.
Benin, though, went down 2-1 to South Africa in their opening qualifier. Percy Tau put the Bafana Bafana in front after just two minutes before Khuliso Mudao made it 2-0 before the break.
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Steve Mounie pulled one back for Benin in the 70th minute as Gernot Rohr's side threatened to come back into the game, but ultimately fell short of finding the equalizer.
After the first round of games, Lesotho are in fourth spot in Group C with a point in the bag. Benin, meanwhile, are at the bottom without any points to their name and a goal difference of -1.
Lesotho vs Benin Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This is only the third clash between Lesotho and Benin
- In their previous two encounters, Benin beat Lesotho 1-0 before the sides drew 0-0 (both coming in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, in November 2020)
- Benin are winless in their last five games, losing thrice, while Lesotho haven't won in their last five outings too.
- Benin's Steve Mounie needs just one more goal to become the side's third all-time top-scorer.
- Benin have lost their last two games with a score of 2-1: vs Madagascar in a friendly in October and vs South Africa in the World Cup qualifier this month.
- Lesotho are ranked 153rd in the world, whereas Benin sit 60 places above them in the rankings
Lesotho vs Benin Prediction
Neither side is in good shape at the moment, coming into the fixture on the back of long winless runs. Lesotho, ranked 60 places below Benin, are the underdogs here, as the Cheetahs have a few good attacking options who can hurt them.
Prediction: Lesotho 0-1 Benin
Lesotho vs Benin Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Benin
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No
