Sports Mole previews Sunday’s World Cup Qualifying – Africa clash between Zambia and Niger, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Zambia and Niger will conclude their respective 2026 World Cup qualifying campaigns with a dead-rubber meeting at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With first place out of the equation, both teams can still finish runners-up in Group E, although their points tally would make a place in the playoffs impossible to secure.
Match preview
A 3-0 triumph over Congo back in March saw Zambia kick off 2025 on a winning note, but what followed was an eight-game winless run, which included seven defeats.
Avram Grant‘s men finally got themselves back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory against Tanzania on Wednesday as Fashion Sakala‘s strike proved to be enough to settle a nervy contest in Zanzibar.
The Chipolopolo’s latest win saw them move up to nine points from seven qualifiers, three points behind their next opponents ahead of this weekend’s meeting in Ndola.
Producing their best defensive display in months, Zambia also managed to keep a first clean sheet in nine matches last time out after conceding the opening goal in seven of the eight games prior.
While World Cup qualification is out of the window, Zambia will be eager to pick up consecutive wins for the first time since December 2024 and exact revenge on Niger for a 2-1 defeat when the teams last met in 2023.
Following a 5-0 defeat against Morocco, which saw Niger suffer their joint-heaviest loss in almost three years, they have since responded with back-to-back wins over Tanzania and, most recently, Congo Republic.
Ezzaki Badou’s men were imperious en route to victory last time out, where goals from Daniel Sosah, Youssouf Oumarou and Victorien Adebayor secured an emphatic win at Stade du 4-Aout.
Knowing that a defeat on Sunday would see them leapfrogged, Les Menas will head into their final World Cup qualifier second in Group E with 12 points, nine shy of leaders Morocco.
Regardless of what happens this weekend, Niger can take great pride in their qualifying journey that has already yielded more points than the last two showings in 2014 and 2022 combined (11).
Zambia World Cup Qualifying – Africa form:
Zambia form (all competitions):
Niger World Cup Qualifying – Africa form:
Niger form (all competitions):
Team News
Patson Daka reached half a century of appearances for Zambia in their last affair against Tanzania, although his landmark outing was marred by a 13th straight game without a goal.
Sakala’s winner in the aforementioned match was his 10th international strike and saw him join Daka as the second active player to score double-digit goals for Sunday’s hosts.
Following his opener against Congo, Daniel Sosah has scored in consecutive matches for Niger and will be expected to lead the line once again, flanked on either side by Yac Diori and Adebayor.
Racking up a goal and an assist apiece, Adebayor put on a man-of-the-match display for the visitors last time out, making the 28-year-old one to keep an eye on this weekend.
Zambia possible starting lineup:
Mulenga; Chisala, Chongo, B Sakala, Kapumbu; Musonda; F Sakala, Mphande, Kampamba, Kangwa; Daka
Niger possible starting lineup:
Tanja; Sabo, Sako, Alhassane, Pape; Oumarou, Goumey; Adebayor, Adamou, Diori; Sosah
We say: Zambia 2-1 Niger
While Zambia and Niger have relatively little to play for here, we still expect a keenly contested affair with both teams going for maximum points.
That said, the onus is more on Zambia to deliver in front of their fans, and we are backing them to narrowly emerge victors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
No Data Analysis info