Nigeria Gets A Boost As South Africa Loses To Rwanda In World Cup Qualifiers

Rwanda stunned South Africa with a 2-0 win in the Africa qualifying series for the 2024 World Cup on Thursday.

Nigeria had only two points from their first two games in Group C of the qualifiers, and the prospect of missing the World Cup for the second time in a row was looming.

But the Amavubi Stars secured all three points at the Huye Stadium in Butare, Rwanda, thanks to goals from Innocent Nshuti and Gilbert Mugisha.

The win prevented South Africa from getting six points from two games and dominating the group. But Rwanda’s victory put them at the top of the table with four points. South Africa followed with three points, while Nigeria was in third place with two points.

Lesotho and Zimbabwe shared the third spot with Nigeria but had fewer goals scored. Benin Republic was at the bottom with one point.

The next round of games in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers will be in June 2024, after two matches. Nigeria will host South Africa in a vital clash, hoping to rekindle their hopes of making the global tournament after failing to qualify in 2022.