2026 WCQ: Amrouche unveils 28-man provisional squad for Nigeria, Lesotho clashes

Tosin Oluwalowo
2 Min Read
Calvin Bassey (right)

Rwanda’s head coach, Adel Amrouche, has announced a 28-man provisional squad for their upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Lesotho, set to take place at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on March 21 and 25.

This marks Amrouche’s first squad selection as Amavubi coach, featuring a mix of 15 foreign-based players – including the team’s reliable goalkeeper, Ntwari Fiacre of Kaizer Chiefs – and 13 local talents.

The highly anticipated list sees the return of midfielders Hakim Sahabo and Rafael York, both of whom last featured in Rwanda’s 1-0 victory over Lesotho in South Africa. The list will be pruned down to 23 later in the week.

2026 WCQ: Amrouche unveils 28-man provisional squad for Nigeria, Lesotho clashes
Rwanda national football team

Amrouche faces an immediate test against Nigeria’s Super Eagles, who are eager to recover from a poor start to their qualifying campaign. Currently sitting fifth in the group—just one spot above the bottom—they are four points off the top and desperate to revive their World Cup hopes.

Nigeria boasts one of the most formidable attacking lineups in African football, featuring the last two African Player of the Year winners. The Super Eagles will be determined to secure crucial points and get their qualification campaign back on track.

However, Rwanda will approach the fixture with confidence, having avoided defeat in their last two encounters with Nigeria. They held the Eagles to a goalless draw at the Amahoro Stadium in their first 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier before securing a 2-1 victory in Uyo in the reverse fixture last November.

© Bold Media Innovations & Creative Hub Limited. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.

Share This Article
Leave a Comment
Open chat
1
Hello. Do you want to keep receiving our stories via WhatsApp/Telegram? Send us a message!