Amavubi head coach Adel Amrouche has handed Joy-Lance Mickels a surprise maiden call-up in his 23-man squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Benin and South Africa. The 31-year-old, who plies his trade at Azerbaijani top tier side Sabah AFC, was included in the squad preparing for two upcoming final World Cup qualifiers in October as they seek to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico. Amavubi sit fourth in Group C, three points behind leaders Benin who they will host in Kigali on October 10 and South Africa who they will visit on October 14. Who is Joy-Lance Mickels? Mickels was born in Siegburg, Germany to a Congolese mother and a Rwanda father. He started playing football at VSF Amern at the age of four and was then a part of the Borussia Monchengladbach youth academy for eight years from 2005. In the 2012–13 season for the Borussia Mönchengladbach U19 team, Mickels, who had his best season yet with 17 goals and three assists, reached the semi-finals of the DFB Junior Cup, where they were eliminated on penalties against Kaiserslauten. He first joined Sabah in 2021 where he scored 29 goals in 61 games before joining Saudi Arabian side Al Faisaly in 2023. He spent one season at the club before returning to Sabah in the summer of 2024. He has so far scored nine goals in 24 games. Joy-Lance's twin brother Joy-Slayd is also a professional footballer, as is their younger brother Leroy-Jacques play football. Transfermarkt values him at Euros 500,000. Full squad: Goalkeepers: Fiacre Ntwari, Pierre Ishimwe and Clement Buhake Twizere. Defenders: Claude Niyomugabo, Emmanuel Nshimiyimana, Ange Mutsinzi, Thierry Manzi, Darryl Nganji Nkulikiyimana, Kavita Phanuel, Jean Gilbert Byiringiro and Yunusu Nshimiyimana. Midfielders: Djihad Bizimana, Bonheur Mugisha, Kevin Muhire, Jean Bosco Ruboneka, Anicet Ishimwe and Hamon Aly-Enzo. Strikers: Innocent Nshuti, Jojea Kwizera, Abeddy Biramahire and Arthur Gitego.
