Preview:Mauritania vs Togo - prediction, team news, lineups

Mauritania will face Togo at the Nouadhibou Olympic Stadium on Friday in round seven of the CAF 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Both sides remain winless after six matches and carry only faint hopes of turning their fortunes around in the final four games.

Match preview

After their commendable showing at the last Africa Cup of Nations, Mauritania’s struggles in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers have come as a surprise.

The Lions of Chinguetti sit bottom of Group B with just two points, a tally made even more disappointing given that minnows South Sudan are part of the same group.

The team parted ways with Amir Abdou last November, but much of the damage was already done under his watch, with three defeats and a draw across four qualifiers.

His successor, Aritz Lopez Garai, has yet to inspire a turnaround, overseeing a 2-2 draw with Togo and a 2-0 defeat to DR Congo in March.

Their subsequent friendlies brought little encouragement, with a loss to Central African Republic followed by draws against Burundi and Algeria, all before a disappointing campaign at the African Nations Championship, where they exited at the group stage under Garai’s leadership.

Now back on World Cup qualifying duty, Mauritania will be desperate to register their first victory, though history is not on their side — they have beaten Togo only once in six previous meetings, with three of those ending in stalemates.

Togo, meanwhile, sit two places above Friday’s hosts with four points but are also winless in this World Cup qualifying campaign.

Ranked nine places below Mauritania by FIFA, Dare Nibombe’s men began with three consecutive draws before falling to DR Congo, and they have since drawn with Sudan and lost 2-0 to Senegal.

The Sparrowhawks have not played since that defeat in March, having skipped the June international window, which raises questions about their sharpness heading into this clash.

While Togo famously qualified for the 2006 World Cup under the late Stephen Keshi, replicating that achievement has proven a tall order, and with four matches remaining, their 2026 hopes are all but gone.

Mauritania World Cup Qualifying - Africa form:

Mauritania form (all competitions):

Togo World Cup Qualifying - Africa form:

Togo form (all competitions):

Team News

Mauritania have named a 25-man squad for this month’s qualifiers, with Aboubakary Koita, who netted one of their two goals in the campaign, leading the frontline.

Abdallahi Mahmoud, scorer of their other goal, is also included and expected to start, though midfielder Mouhsine Bodda is absent.

For Togo, Thibault Klidje and Kevin Denkey, who struck in the reverse fixture, both return in a 26-man squad.

Goalkeeper Malcolm Barcola, however, is unavailable, leaving Youssouf Morou in line to start between the posts.

Mauritania possible starting lineup:

Niasse; Abeid, L. Ba, Mahmoud, Keita; Fofana, Camara, M'Bareck; S. Ba, Tanjy, Koita

Togo possible starting lineup:

Morou; Boma, Boateng, Djene, Atte, Homawoo; Agbagno, Karim, Annor; Klidje, Denkey

We say: Mauritania 1-1 Togo

With both sides yet to record a win in the qualifiers, this clash looks finely poised as Mauritania have struggled for goals despite having key forwards available, while Togo’s campaign has been built on stubborn defending and narrow margins, but a failure to get over the line in games.

Given their history of draws in this fixture and their current form, it would not be a surprise to see the points shared once again on Friday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.