2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Super Eagles Set To Redeem Image With Win Against Zimbabwe, Arrive Rwanda For Tie

By Akinwale Kasali

After its shambolic display against the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Godswill Obot Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers opener ending in a stalemate on Thursday, the Team has promised to get the maximum point against the Warriors of Zimbabwe in Butare, Rwanda in Sunday.

The Super Eagles’ delegation to Sunday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers arrived in Rwanda , Zimbabwe’s adopted home –in the early hours of today, Saturday.

The delegation of players and officials travelled to the East Africa Country aboard a chartered aircraft that departed  the Victor Attah International Airport the midnight of Saturday and touch down in Kigali at dawn, before a two-hour road trip to Butare, the city where the match venue (Huye Stadium) is located.

The 20,000 -capacity Huye Stadium has an artificial turf, but the Eagles have voiced a collective decision not to be bothered about the playing turf as they seek the maximum three points.

Coach Jose Peseiro and his charges quietly committed to facing the remaining nine matches of the qualification series with a much stronger mentality, with victory in each match the only option.

With Rwanda on the high-altitude plane, it was decided that the Eagles fly into the country, have their official training session and play the match before the unfamiliar climate began to take its toll.

Zimbabwe’s Warriors, who clashed with Rwanda’s Amavubi in their own Day 1 fixture – which ended scoreless – have been training on the artificial turf of the Huye Stadium since arriving in Rwanda at the weekend, and faced the home team on the same turf.

The Eagles and the Warriors will clash at the Huye Stadium from 3pm Rwanda time (1pm Nigeria).

Victory on Sunday will take the Super Eagles to four points with the campaign one-fifth of the way gone.

Souleiman Ahmed Djama from Djibouti will be the referee, to be assisted by his countrymen Liban Abdoulrazack Ahmed (assistant referee 1), Rachid Waiss Bouraleh (assistant referee 2) and Mohamed Diraneh Guedi (fourth official).

Yohannes Ghirmai Ghebregziabher from Eritrea will be in the role of referee assessor and Raphael Lyson Humba from Malawi will be the match commissioner.