Sao Tome and Principe vs South Sudan Prediction: A competitive first meeting expected

The last first-leg match in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations preliminary round qualifiers will feature Sao Tome & Principe against South Sudan at Stade Municipal de Berkane in Morocco. According to the FIFA Rankings, Sao Tome & Principe holds the 191st position and is the fourth-lowest ranked team in the CAF region, whereas South Sudan ranks 166th in the current world standings.

Sao Tome & Principe is aiming to secure their first-ever AFCON main draw this year after advancing through the preliminary rounds in the last two qualifiers but falling short in the group stage. In the previous qualifying edition, STP faced Mauritius and secured a 4-3 aggregate victory over two legs, although they were initially disqualified by CAF due to COVID protocol violations involving one of their players. Unfortunately, they finished at the bottom of Group A in the qualifiers with one draw and five defeats in six games, including a heavy 10-0 loss to Nigeria. Since 2016, Sao Tome & Principe has played 26 games but has only managed three wins, all of which were against Mauritius.

South Sudan's hopes of qualifying for the AFCON were dashed as they continue to await their first major international appearance. The Bright Stars secured a victory against Kenya in a friendly just before the World Cup qualifiers. However, they suffered a 4-0 defeat to Senegal and managed a goalless draw against Mauritania. Head coach Nicolas Dupuis has called up 26 players for the double-header against Sao Tome, including Tito Okello, who plays in Iran and has scored four goals in 16 games.

Sao Tome & Principe comes into this match after suffering five straight defeats, failing to score while conceding 15 goals. Meanwhile, South Sudan has reached the group-stage qualifiers in their last five attempts and has lost just once in their last three matches. We predict that the Bright Stars will win, although it will likely be a low-scoring game.