Rwanda coach Torsten Spittler has said his team’s shock 2-1 win over the Super Eagles in Uyo will be a massive boost in confidence going into next year’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against the same team in Kigali.
In March 2025, group leaders Rwanda will welcome the Super Eagles when the 2026 World Cup qualifiers resume.
The Amavubis lead Group C with seven points from four matches, while Nigeria are four points adrift and second from bottom.
“My players now have reason to believe in themselves. Nigeria are 36th in the FIFA ranking, while we’re 126th, about 100 positions difference,” Spittler remarked.
“It’s great for our self-confidence, but still you have to play the matches and win the matches.
“We are very proud of this team and their performance because it’s not often you beat Nigeria with their big players and on their home ground.
“I am sure everyone is happy at home even though we didn’t qualify for the AFCON.”
The German coach said he believes the Super Eagles were not ready to play the match because they have already qualified for the AFCON.
“They didn’t know whether they were playing a friendly or whatever because they had already qualified,” he said.
“They didn’t want to play, that’s one of the reasons we got the three points.
“They usually play 3-4-3, but they changed the system, this was a surprise, but we handled such a situation.
“I told my players that they should not let them enjoy the evening and you could see from their faces that they didn’t enjoy it.”
