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Niger and Tanzania lock horns at the Marrakech Stadium in Morocco on Saturday for their opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The sides have been drawn in Group E of the CAF zone along with Morocco, Zambia and Congo. Eritrea were in the hat too but have now withdrawn from the qualifiers.
Ranked 129th in the world, Niger begin their campaign in search of a first appearance at the World Cup, but need to find their rhythm to realize their dreams. In seven games this calendar year, the Menas have won just once, a 3-0 friendly win over Somalia.
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The west African country also oversaw a terrible campaign at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, failing to win any of their six games and losing four times. All those defeats came in the 2023 calendar year as Niger finished at the bottom of their group.
Tanzania, who were in the same AFCON group, managed to qualify for next year's showpiece after finishing in second place with eight points from six games. Last month, the Taifa Stars drew 1-1 with Sudan in a friendly.
Niger vs Tanzania Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This is the third official clash between Niger and Tanzania
- In their first meeting, Niger and Tanzania drew 1-1 in June 2022 in an AFCON qualifier, before Tanzania beat Niger 1-0 in the return a year later in the same qualifier
- In five official games this year, Tanzania have lost just once
- Tanzania are unbeaten in their last three international games
- In seven international games this year, Niger have won just once: a 3-0 victory over Somalia in a friendly
- In five international games, Tanzania have scored just thrice, two of them have come from Simon Msuva
- Tanzania could see three consecutive stalemates for the first time since 1988
Niger vs Tanzania Prediction
Niger, for all their quality options, have seen a terrible year, making them the underdogs here. Tanzania, led by the peerless Msuva, can cause their sloppy defense plenty of troubles and we predict the Taifa Stars to narrowly prevail.
Prediction: Niger 1-2 Tanzania
Niger vs Tanzania Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Tanzania
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
