The Rwanda national football team has shot to the top spot in Group C of the CAF 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
The Amavubis on Tuesday stunned South Africa’s Bafana Bafana 2-0 to jump to the number one position in Group C.
APR forward Innocent Nshuti broke the deadlock for the hosts in the 12th minute before Gilbert Mugisha doubled the advantage in the 28th minute.
While the South Africans battled to get back into the game in the second half, Rwanda held on firmly to their two-goal lead until the final whistle.
The result means Rwanda take the lead in Group C after two matchdays with four points after playing a barren draw against Zimbabwe in their group opener before Tuesday’s victory.
The other Tuesday game in Group C between Lesotho and Benin Republic ended in a goalless draw.
With the result, the Crocodiles now have two points, while the Gernot Rohr-led Benin Republic side is the bottom-placed team with just one point.
These results favour the Super Eagles, who have endured their poorest start to a World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Nigeria national team recorded 1-1 draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe in their first two games in the qualifying series.
This means the three-time African champions have just two points out of six available.
Hoping for a seventh World Cup appearance, the Super Eagles are presently fourth in Group C but are within touching distance of the other teams ahead of them.
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Coach Jose Peseiro and his men must get it right when the qualifiers resume in June next year.
Rwanda’s victory over South Africa is a major boost for the Amavubis’ hopes of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time.
The Super Eagles’ next game is against South Africa and Benin Republic in June 2024, and the Eagles will need to get back to winning ways if they are to stay in contention for qualification.
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