South Sudan vs Mauritania Prediction: Visitors are the better side

The competition in Group B of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers continues as South Sudan and Mauritania face each other at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade on Tuesday. Following their opening-day defeats, both teams aim to secure a morale-boosting result and kickstart their campaign with a positive outcome.

South Sudan faced a tough challenge against Senegal on Saturday, suffering a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the reigning African champions in their Group B opener. The performance from Aliou Cisse's team at the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade was top-notch, with goals from Pape Matar Sarr, Lamine Camara, and a brace from Sadio Mane securing all three points for Senegal. Following this result, the Bright Stars have now lost their last four competitive matches, conceding 12 goals and scoring only twice since their 2-1 victory over Congo in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in March. This poor run led to South Sudan finishing at the bottom of Group G in the AFCON qualifiers, securing only three points from six qualifying games. Despite this setback, Nicolas Dupuis's team aims to turn things around and kickstart their quest for a first World Cup appearance. However, they face a challenge against Mauritania, who are undefeated in their previous two encounters. In the World Cup qualifiers in October 2015, both teams played over two legs, with a 1-1 draw in Juba followed by a 4-1 victory for the Lions of Chinguetti at Stade Olympique in Nouackchott.

Mauritania faced a setback in their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 defeat against Congo DR last Wednesday. The hosts, Congo DR, broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute with a goal from Brentford's Yoane Wissa, and Theo Bongonda sealed the result with an 81st-minute strike. Despite this defeat, it was the first loss in three competitive games for Amir Abdou's team. They had previously secured two consecutive victories over Sudan and Gabon in the final two games of the AFCON qualifiers. With 10 points from their six qualifying matches, Mauritania finished as runners-up in Group I, earning them a spot in the AFCON for the third consecutive time In their last match of the year, the Lions of Chinguetti will aim to secure a morale-boosting victory before gearing up for the Africa Cup of Nations in January, where they are set to face Burkina Faso.

South Sudan and Mauritania, both seeking a positive turn in their World Cup qualifying campaigns, are set to clash on Tuesday. The Bright Stars of South Sudan have encountered difficulties, losing their last four competitive matches. In contrast, Mauritania, led by coach Amir Abdou, has won three of their last five outings. Given these recent performances, it seems South Sudan may face challenges against Mauritania, who has shown better form in recent matches.