Nigeria revive W’Cup hopes with historic win over Rwanda

The Super Eagles secured their first victory in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with a historic 2-0 triumph over Rwanda yesterday in Kigali, reigniting their hopes of reaching the global football tournament. The victory was the first for the Super Eagles against the Wasps of Rwanda in Kigali in three previous attempts as the […]

The Super Eagles secured their first victory in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with a historic 2-0 triumph over Rwanda yesterday in Kigali, reigniting their hopes of reaching the global football tournament.

The victory was the first for the Super Eagles against the Wasps of Rwanda in Kigali in three previous attempts as the other encounters ended in draws.

Victor Osimhen’s first-half brace proved decisive as Nigeria claimed all three points in their first match under new head coach Eric Chelle. 

The Napoli striker, currently on loan at Galatasaray, continued his fine form, opening the scoring with a composed side-footed finish from Ademola Lookman’s free-kick in the 11th minute. He then doubled the lead with a brilliant solo effort, winning possession at the halfway line before chipping the goalkeeper just before the break.

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Before this win, Nigeria’s qualification hopes were hanging by a thread, having collected just three points from four matches. 

The victory lifts the three-time African champions to fourth in Group C, behind South Africa, Benin, and Rwanda. South Africa’s 2-0 win over Lesotho earlier in the day added further pressure to the group standings.

Next, Nigeria will host bottom-placed Zimbabwe on Tuesday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo as they continue their push for a spot in the expanded 48-team World Cup. 

Only the group winners will earn automatic qualification for the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the FCT Football Association, Alhaji Adam Mouktar Mohammed, has congratulated the Super Eagles on the crucial away victory.

He said the players should savour the win but immediately shift attention to their next match against Zimbabwe.

“I congratulate the Super Eagles on their well-deserved victory over Rwanda. It was a difficult match but they managed to control the game.

“The most important thing is the three points. Whether they played well or not, it does not really matter at this time.

“So, I urge the players to go for another victory against Zimbabwe. If they can achieve that, then they would have successfully revived their campaign,” said Mouktar.

A former Super Eagles Coordinator, Emmanuel Danjuma Attah, also lauded the players for picking the maximum points.

“There are no more minnows in world football so the Super Eagles deserve commendation. Even as it was their first match under Eric Chelle, they did everything possible to win.

“I also believe that the coach took note of some of the lapses and he will make the technical adjustments before the next match against Zimbabwe,” said the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National League (NNL).