Rwanda vs Bafana Bafana will light up Huye International Stadium in their second Group C fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The match will kick off at 3pm local time on Tuesday, 21 November 2023 in Butare, Rwanda.
Amavubi🇷🇼 vs BafanaBafana🇿🇦
Twese inyuma y’Amavubi pic.twitter.com/Sxh5XNMBKh
— Rwanda FA (@FERWAFA) November 19, 2023
Bafana Bafana have become early favourites to win the group ahead of Nigeria and Benin, the other two pre-tournament favourites. It’ll be interesting to see how they match up against Amavubi (The Wasps).
Rwanda vs Bafana Bafana match preview
Rwanda
Rwanda picked up a hard-fought 1-1 draw away in Senegal in the team’s last Group L encounter on 9 September in the AFCON qualifiers.
They finished 3rd behind Senegal and Mozambique and failed to book a ticket to the event in Cote d’Ivoire, with their only AFCON appearance coming in 2004.
The Wasps followed that up with another draw in their opening match of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe last week.
Torsten Spittler’s men have gone unbeaten in their last two games but have never qualified for a World Cup finals.
Ranked 140th in the world, they’ll look to upstage South Africa at home and keep their dreams of earning a World Cup ticket alive for the first time in history.
Bafana Bafana
South Africa kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-1 win against Benin last Saturday.
Former Sundowns star Percy Tau and Khuliso Mudau gave Bafana Bafana a two-goal lead before captain Steve Mounie netted for Gernot Rohr’s side.
Hugo Broos’ team became the only side with maximum points in Group C after the first round of the qualifiers, and they’ll be eager to defeat the Rwandans and take full control of the standings.
Ranked 64th in the world, South Africa head into Tuesday on a six-game unbeaten run of three wins and three draws, and will look to extend their record.
Rwanda vs Bafana Bafana probable lineups
Rwanda
Bonheur Mugisha is a doubt for this one after he was brought off with an injury scare midway through the game against Zimbabwe. Should he be deemed unfit to participate, Olivier Niyonzima is expected to take his place.
While coach Spittler deployed a 4-3-3 formation in the game with Zimbabwe, he’ll likely throw more weight into the midfield against Bafana Bafana with Innocent Nshuti as the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation.
Probable lineups for Rwanda: Ntwari (GK); Imanishimwe, Mutsinzi, Manzi, Ombolenga; Sahabo, Niyonzima, Bizimana; Byiringiro, Nshuti, G. Mugisha.
Bafana Bafana
Coach Broos will be without Evidence Makgopa, who picked up an injury in their 2-1 win against Benin. In his place, Zakhele Lepasa is expected to lead the line in an unchanged formation from Saturday’s game.
Probable lineups for Bafana Bafana: Williams (GK); Mudau, Xulu, Mvala, Modiba; Sithole, Mokoena, Tau, Zwane, Hlongwane, Lepasa.
Rwanda vs Bafana Bafana confirmed lineups
*Lineups will be automatically updated shortly after they’re released
Rwanda vs Bafana Bafana head-to-head and key stats
- Both teams will be meeting for the first time in history.
- Spittler’s side are aiming for their first appearance in the FIFA World Cup.
- Rwanda has not won any of their last four competitive games at home, having drawn and lost twice. They’re also winless in their last six matches, with three losses and draws.
- The Wasps have scored just once in their last four matches at home. They’ve conceded three times whilst keeping a clean sheet in one.
- South Africa are unbeaten in all but one of their last 17 outings across all competitions, including friendlies.
- Bafana Bafana have scored 28 goals in their last 17 skirmishes and have conceded 15 times in that stretch.
- South Africa have appeared in the FIFA World Cup on three occasions in 1998, 2002, and 2010.
- A win for South Africa on Tuesday will see them go six points in Group C.
Where to watch Rwanda vs Bafana Bafana live
This match will be broadcast live on SuperSport and CAF TV on YouTube.
After a long and tiring journey, Bafana Bafana arrived safely in Rwanda. 🙏🏽 #BafanaPride #WCQ
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) November 19, 2023
Fans can also stay in touch with the action by keeping an eye on live updates posted across the Bafana Bafana handle on X.
This article was most recently revised and updated 21 seconds ago