Lesotho To Host World Cup Qualifier In Durban
The iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban will once again play host to a World Cup qualifier next month.
The Lesotho Football Association (LFA) has chosen the 2010 World Cup venue to host their match against Rwanda on 11 June.
This decision comes as Lesotho is one of 17 African member associations currently banned by CAF from playing matches on home soil. Therefore, they have opted to utilize the Moses Mabhida Stadium, which is registered with CAF by the South African Football Association (SAFA).
Lesotho will also play Zimbabwe at Orlando Stadium on 7 June as the 2026 World Cup qualifiers resume. The Moses Mabhida Stadium selection is due to their presence in South Africa for both matches.
This marks Lesotho’s second appearance at the iconic venue. In November last year, they hosted Benin there during the qualifiers’ opening stage, securing a goalless draw. Initially, they had hoped to play that match at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein. However, SAFA had not registered the venue with CAF, prompting the move to Durban.
The Bloemfontein stadium has now been registered and will see Bafana Bafana take on Zimbabwe on 11 June, four days after their away fixture against Nigeria.
Lesotho finds itself grouped with Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Benin in Group C. Surprisingly, Rwanda currently leads the group with four points after two matches. They drew with Zimbabwe before defeating Bafana Bafana 2-0 in a challenging away fixture.
Bafana Bafana sits in second place after their victory over Benin in Durban. Nigeria, runners-up in the recent Africa Cup of Nations finals, occupies third with two points. Lesotho follows in fourth, while Zimbabwe and Benin hold the fifth and sixth positions, respectively. Notably, Lesotho hasn’t secured a World Cup qualifying win in over ten years, with their last victory coming against Sudan in September 2013.
The 2026 World Cup, expanding to 48 teams, will see the nine group winners from Africa automatically qualify for the final phase. One additional team will participate in a play-off tournament.
