World Cup
Osimhen is a masked marked man as Rwandan paper unfolds plots against Super Eagles
With Friday’s match having the ability to shape the destiny of the Super Eagles in the 2026 World Cup qualification series, they are condemned to win the encounter with Rwanda.
But the Rwandans are not waiting to be slayed. A win, or even a draw will boost their chances of first ever World Cup qualification.
In contrast, a draw or a defeat for the Super Eagles could spell doom by almost ending their qualification journey.
The match is almost a reversed fixture of both teams that last featured in the international calendar last November facing each other in Uyo.
Both go into Friday’s game under new coaches. Algeria’s Adel Amrouche is the new helmsman in Rwanda while Eric Chelle takes over from Nigeria’s interim coach, Austin Eguavoen.
The lead newspaper in Rwanda, The New Times gives tips to the home team on how they could overcome Nigeria. There are five tips offered.
- Take control of the midfield
The last time Rwanda hosted Nigeria in Kigali was in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers on September 10, 2024, in a game which ended 0-0.
The game saw Rwandan midfield trio Bonheur Mugisha, Djihad Bizimana and Kevin Muhire running the show.
The tripod of Rwanda’s Midfield: Bonheur Mugisha, Djihad Bizimana and Kevin Muhire
They outclassed the likes of Wilfried Ndidi, Dele-Bashiru and Bruno Onyemaechi though the Rwandan attack looked blunt on the day.
On Friday, Rwanda has the tendency to control the midfield again and once they prove superior in that department, it will reduce the pressure which the opponent may mount.
- Man-mark Osimhen
During the previous match at the same venue last year, it was Rwandan goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari against Nigeria’s menacing attack.
Ntwari pulled as many as 11 brilliant saves to keep his side in the game.
Masked man, Victor Osimhen will be a marked man on Friday.
Osimhen came into that game in the second half and had three good chances saved by Ntwari.
The Galatasaray striker is likely to start on Friday and centre-backs Ange Mutsinzi and Thierry Manzi must man-mark him.
They shouldn’t give Osimhen any room to operate as he just needs one chance to cause havoc.
He will be coming into the game like a wounded lion and the Amavubi guardsmen should be able to frustrate him.
- Spread the game to the wings
The majority of Amavubi’s most recent goals have been scored from crosses where Innocent Nshuti scored [against Libya and Nigeria] from the wings.
Amrouche will be without left-back Emmanuel Imanishimwe who did the damage in Uyo but, in his absence, Amavubi has a formidable replacement in Claude Niyomugabo.
Rwanda will depend on Claude Niyomugabo to run the flanks
On his day, the APR skipper is unplayable and can mesmerize any fullback on the flanks.
Amavubi should get the ball to the flanks as both Niyomugabo and Fitina Omborenga can deliver dangerous crosses for Nshuti.
- Give Lookman no luxury of finding space
Lookman is dangerous and he showed it when the two teams last met in Kigali. The Atalanta forward is not only a goal scorer but a ball juggler who can torment the opposing team’s defence.
All eyes will look on Lookman
Ademola Whether Eric Chelle uses Lookman as a number 10 or from the wings, Amavubi players shouldn’t give him space to operate as he can settle the game with one moment of brilliance.
They should stop him and always a keen eye on him any time he has the ball so that he doesn’t go solo.
- Be proactive in the Nigeria penalty box
Nshuti should be attentive as Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has a problem which is always spilling or punching balls before trying to grab it firmly again.
Relentless attack in Nigeria’s goalmouth is what Rwanda plan
Amavubi has the likes of Djihad Bizimana and others who have the power to hit balls from long range.
Nshuti, in particular, should be lurking inside the penalty box as he can score from rebounds.
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By Kunle Solaja
The Democratic Republic of Congo has named several players at the centre of Nigeria’s eligibility protest in its squad for the decisive inter-continental play-off for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, underlining the lingering controversy surrounding the Leopards’ qualification campaign.
DR Congo will face the winner of the play-off between Jamaica and New Caledonia in Guadalajara, Mexico, on March 31, 2026, in a match that could send the Central African nation back to the World Cup for the first time in 52 years.
But the squad announced by coach Sébastien Desabre has drawn attention because many of the players whose eligibility Nigeria questioned after last November’s African play-off defeat have again been included.
Players at the centre of Nigeria’s protest
Nigeria’s protest to FIFA following the African play-off in Morocco focused most strongly on three players whose nationality switches were approved only days before the decisive match: Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Mario Stroeykens and Matheu Epolo
Balikwisha and Stroeykens, both Belgian-born and former Belgium youth internationals, were granted FIFA approval to switch allegiance to DR Congo in the days leading up to the November 16 play-off against Nigeria.
Epolo, a Belgian-born goalkeeper who also represented Belgium at the youth level, had his nationality switch approved within the same period.
Nigeria argued that the Congolese federation had called up the players before FIFA had formally approved their change of association, raising questions about whether proper procedures had been followed.
Of the three players at the centre of the protest, Epolo has been included in the squad for the Guadalajara play-off, while Balikwisha and Stroeykens have not been listed among the selected players.
Several other contested players retained
Beyond the three players highlighted in Nigeria’s complaint, several other footballers whose eligibility was questioned by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have also been retained in the squad.
These include: Lionel Mpasi, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Arthur Masuaku, Samuel Moutoussamy, Noah Sadiki, Ngal’ayel Mukau, Nathanaël Mbuku, and Cédric Bakambu
Most of those players were involved in the controversial African play-off match against Nigeria last November, with Mpasi, Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe and Masuaku forming part of the starting defence.
Midfielders Sadiki, Moutoussamy and Mukau also started the match, while Mbuku and Bakambu featured in the attacking line.
Substitute appearances were made by Edo Kayembe, Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Fiston Mayele, with Balikwisha scoring one of the penalties in the shoot-out that ultimately eliminated Nigeria.
Legal basis of Nigeria’s complaint
Nigeria’s petition to FIFA was based on two principal arguments.
The first concerned the timing of FIFA approval for nationality switches.
According to the NFF, the Congolese federation called up several dual-nationality players around November 1, 2025, but FIFA only approved their change of association between November 11 and 12, just days before the match on November 16.
Nigeria argued that this raised questions about how the players could have been selected before their eligibility was officially confirmed.
The second argument related to DR Congo’s constitutional position on dual nationality.
The NFF contended that because the Congolese constitution does not formally recognise dual citizenship, players who still held European passports might not have been eligible to represent the country unless they had renounced their other nationalities.
Historic opportunity in Guadalajara
Despite the controversy, DR Congo now stands within touching distance of its first World Cup appearance since 1974, when the country competed under the name Zaire.
Desabre’s squad blends experienced European-based players with emerging talent as the Leopards attempt to secure a historic return to the global stage.
In defence, Wan-Bissaka and Masuaku are expected to provide width, while Chancel Mbemba and Tuanzebe offer experience and physical presence at the heart of the backline.
Midfielders Sadiki and Moutoussamy will be tasked with controlling the tempo, supported by attacking outlets such as Grady Diangana and Edo Kayembe.
Up front, DR Congo will rely on the firepower of Bakambu, Fiston Mayele, Simon Banza and Yoane Wissa.
If the Leopards prevail in Guadalajara, they will become the tenth African nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, joining Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.
Yet as they prepare for the decisive match, the presence of several players named in Nigeria’s protest ensures that the controversy surrounding last November’s play-off remains part of the broader narrative of DR Congo’s quest for a place at football’s biggest tournament.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the Iranian men’s national soccer team was welcome to participate in the 2026 World Cup but that he believed it was not appropriate that they be there “for their own life and safety.”
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran’s sports minister said on Wednesday, opens new tab that it was not possible for his nation’s athletes to participate after the U.S. launched airstrikes alongside Israel against Tehran. The attacks triggered a region-wide conflict that has shown no signs of abating.
The 48-team World Cup will be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, with Iran scheduled for matches in Los Angeles and Seattle.
An official withdrawal by Iran from the showpiece event, which has not yet happened, would be a first in the modern era and would leave soccer’s global governing body FIFA with the urgent task of finding a replacement team.
Iran was the only nation missing from a FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants held last week in Atlanta.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Late last year it awarded Trump — who has campaigned aggressively for the Nobel Peace Prize — its own inaugural peace prize .
Earlier this week, Australia granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women soccer players after they sought asylum, fearing persecution on their return home for their refusal to sing the national anthem at an Asia Cup match.
Trump had urged Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to grant asylum to members of the Iranian women’s team, saying the U.S. would if Australia did not.
-Reuters
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Democratic Republic of Congo striker Yoane Wissa has returned to the squad for their World Cup playoff this month after missing the Africa Cup of Nations finals at the turn of the year.
The Newcastle United forward suffered a knee injury playing for his country against Senegal in a World Cup qualifier in early September, only returning to action in December, and was not chosen for the Cup of Nations in December and January.
The Congolese were eliminated in the round of 16 at the tournament in Morocco.
They now have a chance to become the 10th African country at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. starting in June.
They are competing in the inter-confederation playoff in Guadalajara, Mexico on March 31 against either Jamaica or New Caledonia, who meet five days earlier.
The winners of the March 31 game qualify for the World Cup and will be in Group K with Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan.
DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre named 26 players for the playoff with defender Dylan Batubinsika of Greek side AEL and Watford right back Jeremy Ngakia returning.
Elche’s former England under-21 midfielder Grady Diangana, who missed the Cup of Nations finals, is also included.
Reuters
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