Former Amavubi coach Stephen Constantine says Rwanda aren’t pushovers and people should start rewriting their notes about the country's football. Rwanda has had a brilliant campaign so far during the World Cup 2026 qualifiers where they top Group C with 7 points ahead of African giants like Nigeria (5th) and South Africa (2nd). They stunned South Africa 2-0 in Huye and registered a 1-0 win against Lesotho in Durban. They also recorded a draw and a defeat against Zimbabwe and Benin respectively. Constantine, who coached Amavubi from 2014 to 2015, says the size of Rwanda doesn't matter and they can face and perform well against any big country on the African continent. It's not about size or population but what you do with what you have, and Rwanda does that well,” the British coach told DW ahead of Rwanda clash against Nigeria on Friday. ALSO READ: 2026 WC Qualifiers: Nshuti, Mugisha fire Rwanda past South Africa Constantine believes Rwanda is not given the required recognition in football though the country has some good talents. I think Rwanda is underestimated to a large degree but there's talent in Rwanda, lots of talent. That is what happens when you give players time and opportunity to develop, he added. Amavubi will host Nigeria at Amahoro Stadium on Friday, March 21 before welcoming Lesotho on March 25 at the same ground. Major debut tests for Adel New head coach Adel Amrouche has a tough task to prove his worth and continue where his predecessor Torsten Spittler left off and the upcoming two World Cup 2026 come as real tests for him to show Rwandans how far he can take the team throughout the campaign. Amrouche brought back youngster Hakim Sahabo and Raphael York who hadn't been called up since June 2024 after Spittler snubbed them for what he termed as ‘bad behavior.’ ALSO READ: AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: Spittler explains Sahabo, York omissions The German coach accused Sahabo of causing problems than bringing solutions to the dressing room while York hadn't made it into his squad ever since he was found to have lied about his fitness which nearly cost the team during their match against Benin.
