Midfielders Hakim Sahabo and Rafael York are among returnees to Amavubi 28-man provisional squad summoned by new head coach Adel Amrouche. The team will next week join the camp preparing for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers against Nigeria and Lesotho at Amahoro Stadium on March 21 and March 25. The duo’s last call up was on June 11, 2024, when Amavubi defeated Lesotho 1-0 in South Africa. They were suspended from the team by former coach Torsten Spittler due to disciplinary reasons. ALSO READ: Adel Amrouche named Rwanda head coach Mbungo keeps Womens team job Also, back to the squad is attacking midfielder Djabel Imanishimwe who plays for Naft Al Wassat in Iraq. The former APR captain hasn't featured for Amavubi since February 6, 2022 when he played in an AFCON qualifier against Mozambique. Other key returnees are goalkeeper Maxime Wenssens who wasn't selected during Amavubi's 2025 AFCON qualifiers as well as APR shot stopped Pierre Ishimwe who has now cemented his place as APR's number 1. Amrouche’s first squad since his appointment as Amavubi coach earlier in March, comprises 15 foreign players and 13 local players. Rutsiro FC striker Yves Habimana was handed a debut callup following his impressive in the league campaign, where he has scored 8 goals and provided 6 assists so far this season. Rwanda leads Group C of the World Cup qualifiers with 7 points and a plus of 2 goals after 4 games.
