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Ethiopia will face Sierra Leone at the Stade El Abdi on Wednesday in the opening round of the CAF 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Walia Ibex endured a highly disappointing Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, finishing rock-bottom in their group. They will be looking to put out a better performance in the World Cup qualifiers. They were beaten 1-0 by Egypt in their last match and could have no real complaints about the result after managing just one shot on target throughout the game.
Sierra Leone also struggled to impress in the AFCON qualifiers and will be looking for redemption on the global stage. They played out a 1-1 draw against Benin in their last game with Buya Turay opening the scoring with his maiden international strike before their opponents scored a dying minute leveler.
Both sides will aim to kick off their qualification campaign with maximum points as they seek to make their FIFA World Cup debuts in 2026.
Ethiopia vs Sierra Leone Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Wednesday's game will mark the third meeting between the two nations. Ethiopia are undefeated in their previous two games in this fixture, picking up a win and a draw.
- The two sides last faced off in a friendly clash back in August 2021 which ended goalless.
- Sierra Leone are without a clean sheet in their last three games across all competitions.
- Ethiopia have failed to score any goals in three of their last four competitive outings.
- Leone Stars were ranked 122nd in the latest FIFA rankings and now sit 21 places above their midweek opponents.
Ethiopia vs Sierra Leone Prediction
Ethiopia's latest result ended a run of back-to-back victories and they will be looking to bounce back here. They are, however, winless in their last seven competitive outings and could struggle here.
Sierra Leone are on a three-game winless streak and have won just two of their last 10 games across all competitions. They have struggled for results on foreign grounds of late with four of their last five away matches ending in defeat.
Neither side are in encouraging form ahead of their midweek clash and should split the spoils on the opening day.
Prediction: Ethiopia 1-1 Sierra Leone
Ethiopia vs Sierra Leone Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/Under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Five of Ethiopia's last six matches have produced fewer than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: YES (Both sides have found the back of the net in four of Sierra Leone's last five matches)
