Rwanda Football Federation (Ferwafa) Secretary General Henry Muhire has said that they are looking to get warm up matches as the team gears up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The tournament will be staged in Ivory Coast from 23 June to 23 July 202. Amavubi is in Group L of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers alongside defending champions Senegal, Mozambique, and Benin. “We have sent invitations to some countries in the region but we’re yet to get confirmation, they are like three teams we shall play before the end of the month,” Muhire said Qualifying for the continent’s biggest showpiece will be the first priority for new national team head coach Carlos Ferrer. “We need warm up matches to gauge the level of both the local players but it is still difficult as many leagues are still ongoing in the region, Amavubi coach Ferrer said. Amavubi will start their qualifying campaign against Mozambique and play 2021 AFCON champions Senegal next. Rwanda will be looking to amass a minimum of 12 points which historically could qualify for the 2023 AFCON since no team has failed to make it to the continent’s most prestigious football tournament with 12 points in the qualifying campaign in more than three decades. The last time Rwanda qualified for a major event was in 2004 when a patched-up Amavubi team made it to the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations held in Tunisia. Since then it has been a tale of missed chances that has claimed many coaches on the way. One of the major reasons for the failure to qualify for a major competition is the lack of proper youth structures.
