Rwanda’s head coach, Torsten Spittler, has expressed his disappointment after his side were drawn in Group D alongside Nigeria for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Amavubi, as the Rwanda national team are fondly called, will face Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Libya in a challenging Group D.
Aside from Libya, the three countries are in the same group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Spittler has led Rwanda to a strong start in the World Cup qualifiers where they have won two games and drawn one out of their four matches, sharing the top spot in Group C with South Africa and Benin.
After four rounds of matches played in the World Cup qualifiers, the Eagles, who are yet to record a single victory, are yet to come up against Rwanda.
Meanwhile, Spittler’s men are currently ahead of Nigeria by four points and are aiming to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in history.
However, only one of the six teams in Group C can make it to the World Cup, making their mission a tough one.
While picking a ticket for the 2026 World Cup seems like a herculean task, Rwanda will hope to qualify for the AFCON as the top two teams from the group will secure a spot in the tournament set to take place in Morocco in 2025.
Rwanda have missed the last 10 editions of the AFCON with their last participation 20 years in Tunisia.
Coach Spittler is eager to guide Rwanda back to the AFCON but acknowledges the challenge posed by being grouped with former champions Nigeria and familiar opponents Benin.
“It’s actually a little bit sad that we have two teams in the group, Nigeria and Benin, with whom we are playing in the same group in the World Cup qualifiers. But it is what it is,” Spittler told the Rwanda FA.
The battle to qualify for the AFCON will commence in September during the FIFA window.
AFCON qualifier: Rwanda boss sad facing Nigeria
