For Rwanda, the road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations could hardly begin with greater pressure. Amavubi open their Group K campaign against Liberia at Amahoro Stadium on Friday, September 25, before travelling to Praia to face Cape Verde four days later.

There is no need to dress up the challenge. Rwanda have been handed a difficult group containing Mali and Cape Verde, two sides with considerably greater recent experience at the highest level. Yet the group is not beyond Amavubi, at least on paper.

The qualifying format offers two tickets from Group K, and that means Rwanda do not need to be perfect; they need to be consistently effective when the important moments arrive, something that they have missed previously.

The first requirement is therefore obvious: beat Liberia at home because

anything less would immediately increase the pressure on the trip to Cape Verde.

Victory in Kigali, however, would give Stephen Constantine's side the platform from which to approach the second match with confidence rather than desperation.

Liberia should not be underestimated, though. They are coached by Adil Mohamed Erradi, who knows Rwandan football well from his time at APR FC. That familiarity could make the opening fixture more complicated than the difference in reputations suggests.

But Rwanda must concentrate on what they can control. Amahoro Stadium needs to become a genuine advantage. As Constantine acknowledged recently: fans must turn up in big numbers and make the stadium as intimidating for the visitors as they possibly can.

The team must start aggressively without becoming reckless, impose its tempo and, above all, avoid giving Liberia an easy route into the match. In qualifiers such as these, three points are ultimately more valuable than an impressive performance.

The bigger problem arrives four days later: Cape Verde have developed into one of Africa's most consistent sides, and their progress has been extraordinary.

They qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history and then reached the knockout stage on their World Cup debut.

That experience means Rwanda cannot approach the Praia match simply hoping to survive. The objective should be to remain competitive for the entire 90 minutes and take whatever opportunities arise.

If Amavubi can leave Cape Verde with something from the game, the psychological value could be enormous.

For the long-suffering Amavubi fans, Constantine's return has added another layer to the story.

The Englishman returned for a second spell in charge in March, having previously coached Rwanda in 2015. His talk of unfinished business now has a clear test: qualifying for AFCON 2027.

He has had time to work with the players and establish his ideas. The next six matches will show whether that preparation can translate into results.

Rwanda's chances should therefore be viewed realistically. Mali and Cape Verde have strong claims to be the leading teams in the section, but Rwanda are not outsiders without hope.

The group contains six matches, with home and away fixtures against all three opponents, leaving plenty of room for the table to change.

What Amavubi need most is consistency. They cannot afford to win at home and then surrender points unnecessarily in matches they could control.

They must also improve their efficiency in front of goal, defend as a unit and remain disciplined when matches become tense.

Most importantly, Rwanda must avoid treating the tournament's East African setting as a qualification entitlement. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will host AFCON Pamoja 2027, but Rwanda still have to earn their place.

The finals will run from June 19 to July 17, 2027, and Rwanda's opportunity to return to the continent's biggest stage is now firmly in their own hands. Not firmly though, for, this a stage for the brave.

For a nation that has waited since its historic 2004 AFCON appearance, the prize is enormous. The journey starts against Liberia. Win that, compete fiercely in Cape Verde and build from there.

If Constantine can make Amavubi organised, resilient and ruthless enough in the decisive moments, Rwanda have every reason to believe this long wait can finally end.

The only worrying part even for the optimists like me is that we have been here before and we all know how the story has always ended.