The Super Eagles assembling in Kigali will hold training at the Amahoro Stadium on Thursday, the eve of their 2026 World Cup qualifying match with hosts, Rwanda.
As of Monday morning six of the 23, players are already at the Radisson Blu Hotel camp. More players are being expected in the evening.
Rwandans, according to a news report in the local leading newspaper, The New Times, believe that their national team had become a bogey side to the Super Eagles, having drawn all their previous three matches in Rwanda.
The newspaper erroneously reported that both teams had played against each other five times since June 4, 2004. “Each side won once while the other three games ended in a draw.”
Both teams had played seven times, including an African Nations Championship match. Nigeria won twice.
The first was a World Cup qualifying match in Abuja in which Obafemi Martins’ brace gave Nigeria a 2-0 victory. The second time was an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match in Calabar when Nigeria again won 2-0.
Ahead of a potentially blockbuster World Cup qualifying duel with Rwanda on Friday, the Nigeria Super Eagles’ camp has started to bubble.
On Sunday, Eric Chelle, the new coach who will be having his first baptism with Nigeria, arrived at the Radisson Blu hotel in Kigali with the full complement of his crew, backroom staff and the two home-based players, Kayode Bankole and Papa Daniel Mustapha.
Victor Osimhen and Bruno Onyemaechi were on the ground with them. The number of players swelled to six early Monday morning with the arrival of Amas Obasogie and Tolu Arokodare.
The race towards a place in next year’s FIFA World Cup enters a crucial stage as of Monday, 17 March when the African qualifiers resume across the continent.
The global showpiece will for the first time have a guaranteed 9 representatives and possibly a tenth in the newly expanded version set to take place in the United States between 11 June – 19 July 2026.
With four rounds of matches already played, Match Day 5 of the qualifiers has lined up some appetising encounters, as the race to a top finish that guarantees qualification gradually takes shape.
The action officially gets underway in Group E on Monday, 16 March when third placed Tanzania play host to Congo who are yet to register a point in their past three matches.
Four exciting fixtures take place on Wednesday, 19 March, with Liberia taking on top of the table Tunisia in Group H.
Cameroon will be looking at extending their lead in Group D when they take on bottom of the table Eswatini, while Central Africa Republic look to climb up the group when they take on third placed Madagascar.
Thursday, 20 March sees a total of nine mouth-watering encounters taking place across the continent. Some of the marquee fixtures to look out for on include Zimbabwe playing host to Benin, Malawi welcoming the Brave Warriors of Namibia who have had an impressive start so far, as well as Cape Verde taking on Mauritius.
Later on in the evening, Libya will be home to Angola in the tightly contested Group D, while the Eagles of Mali travel to Comoros to conclude Thursday’s fixtures.
Match Day 5 of the qualifiers concludes on Friday, 21 March with a total of 13 fixtures taking place.
With three draws and a loss to their campaign, the Super Eagles will be looking at securing their first win when they take on top of the table Rwanda in Group C. South Africa play host to Lesotho in the same group, as they eye a vital victory that could see them top the group should the result in the Nigeria and Rwanda match go their way.
In other exciting fixture to look out for, Group A leaders Egypt have a tough assignment travel to Ethiopia who are desperate for a win following three draws and a loss.
African champions, Cote d’Ivoire who lead Group F by a narrow point ahead of Gabon face third placed Burundi are also within reach of a top spot.
The Lions of Teranga will be aiming at nothing short of a victory to possibly go top of Group B ahead of Sudan when they face each other in what promises to be an explosive top of the table encounter on Friday.
As the countdown to Rwanda versus Nigeria World Cup qualifying duel begins, a certainty is that the two teams have a common denominator.
The men who handled them when they met last year have changed duty posts and African coaches outside their countries are handling both teams.
Both coaches, Mali’s Eric Chelle for Nigeria and Algeria’s Adel Amrouche for Rwanda will be sitting on the bench for the first time with their respective teams.
Who will be a winning debutant? The actions at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on Friday will provide the answer.
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No clash of the two teams had in the past provided a winner as all three previous duels in Kigali ended in draws.
This time, Nigeria’s Super Eagles are attempting a ‘catch-up game’ hoping to secure all three points to climb up the ladder from the bottom fifth position.
On the other hand, surprise group leaders hope to consolidate by going to 10 points to set a seven-point gap with Nigeria and follow up with another three points in the subsequent duel at home with Lesotho.
But a win by Nigeria will lower the tension on the Super Eagles who surprisingly have beaten Rwanda twice in 2004 in Abuja in a World Cup qualifier and again in Calabar in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
By Anthony Ogbekile
