KIGALI, Rwanda — As the countdown races to Friday’s pivotal 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at Amahoro Stadium, Nigeria’s Super Eagles remain undeterred by the history that shows they have never won a match in Rwanda. Captain William Ekong stated their focus is firmly on securing the three essential points.
“We read about that in some places, but we are not bothered,” Ekong said. “I was part of the last game in Kigali which ended scoreless, but we know that we cannot afford a draw this time. Our objective is to pick the three points and bring some life back into our campaign. Qualification for the FIFA World Cup is our priority.”
The three-time African champions haven’t celebrated a win over Rwanda on Rwandan soil for 20 years, the last encounter in 2006 ending in a draw of 1-1 during the World Cup qualifiers. Other matches, including two 0-0 draws in 2011 and September of last year, have further compounded their struggles at Amahoro Stadium.
All 23 invited players gathered at the Eagles’ Radisson Blu base on Tuesday night, ensuring full participation in their Tuesday and Wednesday training sessions, leading into official practice at Amahoro on Thursday evening. Among the early arrivals was Nigeria’s goal machine, Victor Osimhen, who recently celebrated becoming the leading scorer in the Turkish Super Lig, netting 20 goals after a hat-trick on Saturday. He has scored 23 goals for Nigeria in 47 matches.
The team also features reigning Africa Player of the Year Ademola Lookman, alongside Simon Moses, Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq Umar, and new invitee Tolu Arokodare, all poised to challenge the Rwandan defense.
FIFA has assigned Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed, who will turn 38 two days after the match, to officiate the game set to kick off at 6 PM Rwandan time (5 PM Nigeria time). Jayed previously refereed a friendly between Nigeria and Ghana in March 2024, where Nigeria emerged victorious 2-1, marking a notable success in their record with Ghana after 18 years.
On Friday, French-Malian strategist Éric Sékou Chelle will guide the Super Eagles in a crucial test as the FIFA World Cup qualifying series continues. Nigeria enters this match seeking to break a winless streak in their last four games, needing a victory to improve their chances of clinching the sole automatic spot from group C to compete in next summer’s finals in USA, Canada, and Mexico.
