World Cup
Opinion poll by Rwandan newspaper favours Super Eagles
Nigeria’s Super Eagles are expected to come out of this Friday’s match against Rwanda with a good result if the opinion poll conducted by the leading newspaper in Rwanda is anything to go by.
As of Thursday evening, Rwanda has been temporarily upstaged at the top of Group C log of the World Cup qualifiers by Benin who were forced to a 2-2 draw by Zimbabwe.
A win over Nigeria would push Rwanda back to the top and closer to a dream first-ever World Cup appearance while a similar result could potentially bring the Super Eagles in fresh contention for a ticket back to the 2026 World Cup after missing out in Qatar in 2022.
Stakes are therefore high for the two teams. Rwandans shared their thoughts on the possible outcome of the match with The New Nation newspaper.
Hamza Nkuutu
Prediction: Rwanda 1-1 Nigeria
“I am not a man of making predictions, but Rwanda vs Nigeria has always been a difficult one to call for the punters.
“It’s not going to be any different even this time round. My heart tells me Amavubi will squeeze it 1-0 but the head says it’s going to be a draw 1-1. These two teams have a history of even matches.
“Each team has won once and drawn four of the previous six international meetings.
“Rwanda won the most recent match, which gives them the momentum and with home advantage. I don’t see Adel Amrouche losing his first match in charge of Rwanda.”
Peter Kamasa
Prediction: Rwanda 1-1 Nigeria
“Despite being major underdogs, Rwanda surprisingly sits top of Group C in the CAF qualification table after four rounds. Only first place secures a spot at the 2026 World Cup.
“This didn’t come by chance, the players worked for it and, if you look at the history Rwanda has managed to silence Super Eagles in matches held in Kigali and I expect them to do the same ahead of Friday’s match.
“On paper, this looks like an easy win for Nigeria, but that certainly won’t be the case here because, if the boys can give their best, it can be a different story.”
Edmund Okai Gyimah, Football Journalist
Prediction: Rwanda 0-0 Nigeria
“As someone from West Africa (Ghana), I know Nigeria too well. They have struggled over the years against smaller teams.
“Teams such as Guinea Bissau, Central Africa and even in these qualifiers Lesotho, Benin and Zimbabwe all caused them problems.
“I don’t see Nigeria winning in Kigali. If it was to be Torsten Spittler, this game would have been a done deal for Amavubi but new coach Adel Amrouche will have to get to know the team and that will be the only thing which could be a bane for his team to win.
“Big names don’t play and I believe Rwanda can get something from the game. I will go for Rwanda 0 Nigeria 0.”
Hudson Kuteesa
Prediction: Rwanda 1-2 Nigeria
“Rwanda has had an impressive run of results in the current World Cup qualifiers as well as the recently concluded AFCON qualifiers.
“This has created confidence in the players that big teams like Nigeria and South Africa are beatable. Such is quite a positive thing that we can count on as we face Nigeria.
“However, there are a number of things we need to look at. During the last two games we played against the Nigerians, we got good results, but it is important to mention that the West Africans played well, arguably better than us.
“Having mentioned that Nigeria looks stronger than Rwanda in almost all departments, at least on paper.
“To get a good result, Rwanda may have to be tactically up to the task. But considering that we have a new coach, I can imagine that he has not had enough time to work with the team.
“It might be a bit difficult for him to start his tenure with such a big game. I think Rwanda will fight well on home turf, but in the end, the Nigerians might walk away with a slim victory, for example, 2-1.”
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With just a year to go until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in the United States, concerns are mounting over the impact of extreme summer heat on players and fans.
According to experts interviewed by the BBC, FIFA may be forced to adjust match schedules drastically—possibly even staging the World Cup final as early as 9 a.m.—to mitigate the risks posed by soaring temperatures.
The warnings follow sweltering conditions witnessed during recent international and Club World Cup matches held in the U.S., where athletes and spectators alike were exposed to intense heat and humidity.
One of the leading voices raising the alarm is Professor Mike Tipton, an expert in thermal physiology at the University of Portsmouth. Speaking to BBC Sport, he emphasised the potential health risks of playing in extreme conditions and recommended that matches begin as early in the day as possible.
“From a thermo-physiological point of view, for health and performance reasons, I would look to start matches as early as possible,” Tipton stated, suggesting that even the final—traditionally held in the afternoon or evening—could be moved to a morning kickoff.
Tipton went further, noting that the ideal solution would be to host the tournament during a cooler time of year, as was done with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was shifted to November and December due to extreme heat.
However, with the 2026 tournament already locked in for June 11 to July 19, FIFA’s only remaining flexibility lies in scheduling match times.
The 2026 edition will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico across multiple cities, some of which are known for intense summer heat.
Health experts are urging organisers to prioritise player safety and fan well-being, warning that failing to act could lead to performance issues, heat-related illnesses, or worse.
FIFA has yet to publicly comment on any proposed changes to match schedules, but as temperatures continue to rise, pressure is mounting for the governing body to take decisive action ahead of football’s biggest tournament.
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FIFA’s Global Football Development chief Arsene Wenger acknowledged that the quality of pitches hosting Club World Cup matches in the U.S. was not good enough, but insisted it would be better when the country co-hosts the 2026 World Cup.
The pitches, often very dry and sprinkled with water during cooling breaks or at halftime, have been widely criticised, mainly by coaches and players of the European teams taking part.
“I’ve been personally on the pitch at Orlando,” former Arsenal manager Wenger said on Saturday. “It’s not at the level that the European clubs are used to because it’s not perfect, but that will be rectified for the World Cup next year.”
Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique raised the issue early in the expanded Club World Cup tournament.
“The ball bounces like a rabbit,” Luis Enrique said after his team’s opening 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid.
“Today, for example, the field used to be artificial turf, and now it’s natural grass laid over it, which means it has to be watered manually. It’s a big problem for the way we play.”
“FIFA really needs to take this seriously. Not just the stadium fields but also the training pitches. If we’re calling this the best club tournament in the world, it should have world‑class facilities. I can’t imagine an NBA game played on a court full of holes.”
-Reuters
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Congo will be allowed to continue participating in the World Cup qualifiers despite missing two fixtures in March when they were banned, world football’s governing body FIFA said on Wednesday.
Congo were suspended from February to May because of government interference in the running of their football association (FECOFOOT) but the ban was lifted when officials returned to their positions and were handed back access to their headquarters and technical training centre.
Sports minister Hugues Ngouelondele had appointed an ad-hoc committee last year to run the association, claiming it needed to sort out disputes among association office bearers, but FIFA suspended FECOFOOT due to third-party interference, which violates its statutes.
During the ban, Congo were not allowed to participate in any international competition, which meant they did not honour 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania and Niger in March.
A FIFA spokesman told Reuters the points from those fixtures were forfeited and a 3-0 victory awarded to their opponents.
But they will continue in the qualifiers when they resume in September, even if they have no chance of qualifying.
Congo are scheduled to play Tanzania at home in September and conclude their fixtures in October with matches at Niger and Morocco.
Congo have no points in the group, which Morocco lead with 15 points, six more than Tanzania in second place.
The group winner qualifies for next year’s World Cup in North America while the runner-up has a possibility to participate in playoffs if they are among the four best second-placed teams in the nine African qualifying groups.
FIFA has taken a hard line on government interference in football matters with the likes of Chad, Kenya, Pakistan and Zimbabwe among those banned in recent years.
Congo were African champions in 1972 but have never been to a World Cup.
-Reuters
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