Rwanda will be aiming to conclude their Fifa World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign on a positive note when they face South Africa at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday (6pm kick-off).
The East-Central African side saw their hopes dashed after conceding a late goal to Tosin Aiyegun in their recent home fixture, which effectively ended their World Cup quest. They head into the final qualifier with 11 points.
Despite the disappointment, Amavubi have proven to be far from underdogs in a group where many had written them off early. One of their standout performances came in November 2023, when they secured a memorable 2-0 victory over a strong Bafana Bafana side.
Head coach Adel Amrouche admitted he had hoped for a different situation ahead of the final match, but stressed that his team has no intention of going down without a fight.
“I was hoping we could not be coming here in this situation,” Amrouche said, ahead of the match.
“I was hoping for another scenario but the football gods decided that it will be like this. Everyone has their own philosophy, and personally I hate losing and that is what I also try to inflict on my players.
“I do not want to make any calculations. I do not know what is happening around me, my only focus is on my team, we have planned for this game well.”
Team captain Djihad Bizimana echoed his coach’s sentiments. Though Rwanda is no longer in contention — even for a best second-placed finish—he emphasized the importance of playing with pride.
“The game, on our side, it doesn’t have an affect, but as players we cannot go into it with that mentality. Games for the national team are very important because we are playing for our country and pride.
“We are not coming with the mindset that everything is finish. We are going to go all in, we are playing for our pride and our country.”
