Rwanda will welcome the Super Eagles of Nigeria to Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, on Friday, March 21 in match day 5 encounter of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Africa zone. Amavubi are top of Group C with 7 points whilst Nigeria are 5th with just 3 points. A win or draw will further boost the hosts’ qualification journey while a draw or a defeat for the West African giants could spell doom by almost ending their qualification journey. This is going to be the sixth time both nations are facing each other at senior level. They have one win apiece with the remaining three meetings ending in a draw. Their last meeting saw Rwanda travel to Uyo to beat Nigeria 2-1 in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers. Both teams come back to international fold with new coaches in Adel Amrouche who was named Amavubi coach last week as Frank Spittler’s successor while Nigeria are currently under new head coach Éric Sékou Chelle since January. Times Sport takes a look at five things that Amrouche should do to get his first win against the African giants on Friday. Take control of the midfield The last time Rwanda hosted Nigeria in Kigali was in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers on September 10, 2024 in a game which ended 0-0. The game saw Rwandan midfield trio Bonheur Mugisha, Djihad Bizimana and Kevin Muhire running the show. They outclassed the likes of Wilfried Ndidi, Dele-Bashiru and Bruno Onyemaechi though the Rwandan attack looked blunt on the day. On Friday, Rwanda has the tendency to control the midfield again and once they prove superior in that department, it will reduce the pressure which the opponent may mount. Man-mark Osimhen During the previous match at the same venue last year, it was Rwandan goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari against Nigeria's menacing attack. Ntwari pulled as many as 11 brilliant saves to keep his side in the game. Osimhen came into that game in the second half and had three good chances saved by Ntwari. The Galatasaray striker is likely to start on Friday and center backs Ange Mutsinzi and Thierry Manzi must man-mark him. They shouldn't give Osimhen any room to operate as he just needs one chance to cause havoc. He will be coming into the game like a wounded lion and the Amavubi guardsmen should be able to frustrate him. Spread the game to the wings The majority of Amavubi's most recent goals have been scored from crosses where Innocent Nshuti scored [against Libya and Nigeria] from the wings. Amrouche will be without left back Emmanuel Imanishimwe who did the damage in Uyo but, in his absence, Amavubi has a formidable replacement in Claude Niyomugabo. On his day, the APR skipper is unplayable and can mesmerize any full back on the flanks. Amavubi should get the ball to the flanks as both Niyomugabo and Fitina Omborenga can deliver dangerous crosses for Nshuti. ALSO READ: 2026 WC Qualifiers: Nshuti, Mugisha fire Rwanda past South Africa Give Lookman no luxury of finding space Lookman is dangerous and he showed it when the two teams last met in Kigali. The Atalanta forward is not only a goal scorer but a ball juggler who can torment the opposing team’s defense. Whether Eric Chelle uses Lookman as a number 10 or from the wings, Amavubi players shouldn't give him space to operate as he can settle the game with one moment of brilliance. They should stop him and always a keen eye on him any time he has the ball so that he doesn't go solo. Be proactive in the Nigeria penalty box Nshuti should be attentive as Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has a problem which is always spilling or punching balls before trying to grab it firmly again. Amavubi has the likes of Djihad Bizimana and others who have power to hit balls from long range. Nshuti, in particular, should be lurking inside the penalty box as he can score from rebounds.
