Sept. 1 Mali vs Rwanda

Sept. 5 Rwanda vs Kenya

Vincent Mashami, the head coach of the national football team Amavubi, has urged his players to make the country proud when they face Mali in World Cup qualifiers on September 1.

Mali will host Rwanda in the Moroccan city of Agadir as the country, at the moment, does not have a stadium that fulfills standards of hosting international matches.

In an interview before the team departed Kigali for Morocco on the morning of August 29, Mashami said that players were ‘committed and hungry’ to win.

"We have big ambitions for this game, and the players are committed and hungry to win. We are ready to give all we have. That’s our goal,” said Mashami.

Rwanda is in Group A alongside Mali, Kenya and neighbours Uganda. The four countries are vying for one ticket to the third and final round of qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

"Our primary objective is to bag maximum points against Mali, then take one match at a time in the group campaign. We are fighting for the pride of our nation, and a winning start would boost our determination in the second match,” Mashami added.

After the first match against Mali, Rwanda will host Kenya in the second fixture at Kigali Stadium on September 5.