Nigeria vs Madagascar: prediction and stats
Africa Cup of Nations - QualificationQualification - 1Kick-off on September 23, 2026 at 04:00 PM (UTC)Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo
The Footlab model makes Nigeria the favourite at 60%, against 25% for a draw and 15% for Madagascar. The most likely score is 1-0.
This model is measured at 53.9% 1X2 accuracy on a temporal hold-out, against 33.3% for random guessing. See the measured accuracy
Probabilities recomputed on Aug 24, 2026 — the full match card is recomputed continuously until kick-off.
Who will win Nigeria vs Madagascar?
Nigeria starts as the favourite with a 211-point Elo edge (1,718 vs 1,507).
What is the recent form of both teams?
Over their last 15 matches in all competitions, Nigeria have 8 wins, 5 draws and 2 defeats; Madagascar have 8, 3 and 4.
The competition is shown for every match: in pre-season, several of these games are friendlies.
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2026 | Portugal(away) | 1-2 | Friendlies |
| Jun 3, 2026 | Poland(away) | 2-2 | Friendlies |
| May 30, 2026 | Jamaica(away) | 3-0 | Friendlies |
| May 26, 2026 | Zimbabwe(home) | 2-0 | Friendlies |
| Mar 31, 2026 | Jordan(away) | 2-2 | Friendlies |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 2026 | Morocco(away) | 0-4 | Friendlies |
| Mar 31, 2026 | Equatorial Guinea(away) | 1-1 | Friendlies |
| Mar 28, 2026 | Kyrgyzstan(away) | 5-2 | Friendlies |
| Nov 17, 2025 | Equatorial Guinea(home) | 2-0 | Friendlies |
| Oct 12, 2025 | Mali(away) | 1-4 | World Cup - Qualification Africa |
What does the head-to-head say?
Across the last 1 meetings: 0 Nigeria win(s), 0 draw(s), 1 Madagascar win(s).
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2019 | Madagascar 2-0 Nigeria | Africa Cup of Nations |
Last archived meeting: Madagascar vs Nigeria on Jun 30, 2019
How many goals should we expect?
Nigeria score 1.9 and concede 0.9 goals per match over their last 15; Madagascar score 1.7 and concede 1.3. The model gives a 42% probability of over 2.5 goals and 41% for both teams to score.
| Club | Goals scored / match | Goals conceded / match | Clean sheets | Both teams scored | Over 2.5 goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 1.9 | 0.9 | 6 | 9/15 | 10/15 |
| Madagascar | 1.7 | 1.3 | 5 | 9/15 | 8/15 |
Over the last 15 matches in all competitions.
Where do both teams sit in the table?
Nigeria sit 1st in Africa Cup of Nations - Qualification (11 points from 6 matches) and Madagascar sit 4th (2 points from 6 matches).
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 11 |
| 4 | Madagascar | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
Verdict, probable XI and verified absences
The full match card recomputes this prediction continuously until kick-off: multi-market verdict, player-by-player probable XI and web-verified absences.
Open the full match card in the app
No odds, no affiliation: the method is published and the accuracy is measured.
How does Footlab compute this prediction?
The model combines both teams' Elo ratings (anchored by competition pool), their recent form weighted by opponent strength, home advantage and a Poisson matrix for scorelines. Its accuracy is measured continuously on the predictions actually published. Methodology and measured accuracy
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the favourite for Nigeria vs Madagascar?
- The Footlab model makes Nigeria the favourite at 60%, against 25% for a draw and 15% for Madagascar.
- Where and when is Nigeria vs Madagascar played?
- Nigeria vs Madagascar is played on September 23, 2026 at 04:00 PM (UTC) at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, in the Africa Cup of Nations - Qualification.
- Will there be over 2.5 goals?
- The Footlab model gives a 42% probability of at least three goals in this match.
- How reliable is this prediction?
- The Footlab model is measured at 53.9% correct 1X2 outcomes on a temporal hold-out, against 33.3% for random guessing. The breakdown by competition and Elo gap is published on the accuracy page.