Rwanda vs Nigeria: All You Need to Know

Rwanda hosts the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match in Kigali. Extrasportnigeria.wordpress.com serves all you need to know about this match Nigeria must have to win…

●It is the first match for Nigeria’s new coach Eric Sekou Chelle.

●Rwanda coach Adel Amrouche is not new to facing the Super Eagles. In 2013 he led Kenya against Nigeria in Calabar. It was the Super Eagles’ first competitive game after they won the African Nations Cup in South Africa that year. The match ended 1-1 after the Eagles equalized in added time after 90 minutes of play.

●The Super Eagles are yet to win over Rwanda in that country, going back to 20 years ago. A 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying match ended 1-1 at the Amahoro Stadium. In 2011, a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match at the Stade Regional de Nyamirambo, in the outskirts of Kigali, ended scoreless. In September last year, another 0-0 was the outcome of a 2025 AFCON qualifying match at the Amahoro Stadium.

●Nigeria, with just three points in the group, will face Rwanda in Kigali on Friday at 5pm Nigerian time and 6pm local time.

●The Amavubi of Rwanda face a hungry Super Eagles side in a must-win encounter for Nigeria to keep their hopes of securing a World Cup ticket for the 2026 event in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

●The match will be played at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.

●Amavubi (Wasp) beat Nigeria in the final game of the 2025 AFCON Qualifiers in Uyo.

●Both teams have foreigners as their coaches. Rwanda coach Adel Amrouche is from Algeria while the Nigeria coach Eric Chelle is from Mali.

●Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed is to take charge of the game that will kick off at 6pm Rwanda time (5pm Nigeria time). Jayed was the referee of a friendly game between the Super Eagles and Ghana’s Black Stars in Marrakech, Morocco on 22^nd March 2024, which Nigeria won 2-1.