Rwanda will face Cape Verde in its first game of the 2024 African Men’s Championship in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday, January 17, 2pm.

Organised by the African Handball Confederation (CAHB), the tournament will run from January 17-27, bringing together top handball playing nations in Africa.

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Rwanda is only making its debut at the continental handball competition. The team has been pooled in Group D alongside DR Congo, Zambia, and Cape Verde.

The 26th edition of the CAHB African Men’s Championship serves as a qualification event not only for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games but also for the 2025 World Men's Handball Championship.

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During the build-up to the tournament, Rwanda lost all the three warm-up matches it played, but assistant coach Anaclet Bagishya told Times Sport the team has undergone good preparations and is ready for the continental showpiece.

"All the training went well. We have finished it without injuries. The players are in good shape and are ready to start the tournament,” he noted.

Rwanda is targeting to reach the knock-out stages of the competition at least, and Bagirishya hopes to have a good start against Cape Verde.

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He added that his technical bench has taken time to watch videos of Cape Verde’s previous matches in order to analyse their style of play and get a way of approaching the match.