This article delves into the historical background and football rivalry between the Ethiopia national football team and the Lesotho national football team. It covers their participation in various tournaments, including World Cup qualifiers, Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), and the COSAFA Cup. Additionally, it provides insights into their head-to-head match results and overall performance.
Ethiopia National Football Team
Football is the most popular sport in Ethiopia. Although not one of the leading footballing nations in Africa, Ethiopia has produced some outstanding teams at both club and international level as well as some talented individual players.
Early Years
Football in Ethiopia came under the control of the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) when that organisation was founded in 1943. The EFF affiliated to FIFA in 1953 and to the Confederation of African Football in 1957. League football was in existence before the formation of the EFF with regional leagues contested during the 1938/39 and 1939/40 seasons in the provinces of Eritrea, Harar, Amhara, Shoa and Oromia - Sidamo as part of the Italian occupation.
The first recognised version of the Ethiopian Premier League was contested in 1944 when five teams representing the various communities of Addis Ababa competed for a title won by the British Military Mission-BMME. The Ethiopian Cup was added the following year and has been contested regularly since (albeit with some gaps, notably in the 1960s).
Contemporary Football
The league has been an annual competition since 1948 with Saint George FC emerging as the country’s leading club with 24 titles.
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Ethiopia was suspended by FIFA in 2008 after the Federal Parliamentary Assembly sacked Ashebir Woldegiorgis from his position as EFF President and replaced him with their candidate Ahmed Yasin. As a result FIFA, who oppose government interference in football, suspended the country in July 2008. The suspension was lifted in July 2009 following the election of new EFF leaders.
International Competitions
The Ethiopia national football team made its first appearance in 1947 and since then have enjoyed both highs and lows. As one of the few independent African states in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War Ethiopia were an important team in the development of the international football in the continent.
Africa Cup of Nations
Ethiopia was one of the pioneers of the Africa Cup of Nations and were one of only three teams to enter the inaugural 1957 tournament, finishing as runners-up to Egypt. They were also present at the 1959 tournament.
As hosts of the 1962 tournament and led by goalscorer Mengistu Worku, Ethiopia defeated Tunisia and the United Arab Republic (Egypt) to be crowned African champions for the only time in their history.
They hosted the tournament again in 1968 and 1976 but by then decline had set in and their last appearance in a finals tournament came in 1982.
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World Cup
Ethiopia have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.
Ethiopia are also members of the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) and take part in its competitions. They first won the CECAFA Cup in 1987 as hosts and repeated the same triumph in 2001 and 2004 before adding a fourth title in Rwanda in 2005.
In 2005 the Under-20s team won its sole CECAFA U-20 Championship.
Club Football
No Ethiopian club side has ever won the CAF Champions League or any other international club competitions.
Lesotho National Football Team
The Lesotho national football team, also known as LNFT, represents the country of Lesotho in men's international association football games. The team is managed by the Lesotho Football Association. After Lesotho became independent from the United Kingdom in 1966, the Lesotho Football Association was formed. The national football team played its first game on August 7, 1970.
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World Cup and AFCON Qualifications
Lesotho first tried to qualify for the 1974 World Cup. They drew 0-0 at home against Zambia. Lesotho was also eliminated in the first round of qualifying for the 1974 AFCON, losing 1-5 to Mauritius after a 0-0 draw in their first match. Lesotho faced Mauritius again when trying to qualify for the 1980 AFCON. In the qualifiers for the 1982 tournament, Lesotho lost 3-7 overall to Mozambique. They then played Guinea in the 1982 World Cup qualifiers.
Lesotho won their first ever qualification round for the 1994 AFCON. They beat Botswana 4-0. All four goals were scored in the second game in Botswana. In the group stage, they drew against Kenya (2-2), Zaire (1-1), and Mozambique (1-1) at home. However, they lost all three away games.
Lesotho pulled out of the 1996 AFCON qualifiers. Because of this, they were banned from the next tournament. They returned for the 2000 AFCON qualifiers.
Lesotho v Ethiopia | FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifier | Match Highlights
COSAFA Cup
Lesotho qualified for the 1999 COSAFA Cup by beating Namibia 1-0. But they lost 0-1 to Angola in the quarter-finals. The next year, Lesotho had their best finish ever at the 2000 COSAFA Cup. They only qualified for the tournament because of a disciplinary record. They beat Zambia 3-1 in a penalty shootout. Then, they scored two late goals against Angola in the semi-finals to win 2-1. In the final, they lost 3-0 twice to Zimbabwe.
Recent Match
Ethiopia is going head to head with Lesotho starting on 24 Mar 2024 at 12:00 UTC . The match is a part of the Int. Friendly Games. Ethiopia played against Lesotho in 2 matches this season.
Match Details:
- Event: International Friendly Games
- Date: March 24, 2024
- Time: 12:00 UTC
On Sofascore livescore you can find all previous Ethiopia vs Lesotho results sorted by their H2H matches. Sofascore also provides the best way to follow the live score of this game with various sports features.
Key Features:
- Find out who scored in a live match
- Get real-time information on which team is dominating the match using the Attack Momentum
- Follow detailed statistics such as ball possession, shots, corner kicks, big chances created, cards, key passes, duels and more
- Track all home and away games for each team in the Int. Friendly Games
- Check out how Sofascore community votes on which team is more likely to win this match.
All of these features can help you decide on Ethiopia vs. Lesotho game prediction. Even though Sofascore doesn't offer direct betting, it provides the best odds and shows you which sites offer live betting. Live U-TV odds are viewable on Sofascore's Football live score section.
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