Rwanda and Benin are set to face off once again in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the Amahoro National Stadium on Tuesday. After losing the first of their two October meetings over the weekend, the Wasps will be eager to turn the tables on their visitors and claim their first win of the campaign.
Rwanda’s hopes of securing a spot in the 2025 AFCON took a major hit last Friday when they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Benin at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny. Augsburg forward Steve Mounie opened the scoring early in the seventh minute, with Hassane Imourane and substitute Andreas Hountondji adding two more goals in the second half to seal an emphatic win.
Earlier in the campaign, Rwanda recorded two consecutive draws, including a commendable goalless tie against a strong Nigerian side in Kigali on September 10. However, Torsten Spittler’s squad has now gone 10 consecutive AFCON qualifiers without a win, managing three losses and seven draws since their 1-0 victory over Mozambique in March 2021.
Currently ranked 130th in the FIFA World Rankings, Rwanda will be determined to reverse their fortunes on Tuesday as they aim for only their second-ever AFCON appearance, the first being in 2004.
For Benin, Friday’s triumph marks another positive step under head coach Gernot Rohr, who is aiming to lead the team to their first AFCON since 2019, when they reached the quarter-finals. Benin began their qualifying campaign with a 3-0 loss to Nigeria on September 7, but back-to-back wins over Libya and Rwanda have propelled them to second place in Group D, just one point behind the leaders.
With four victories in their last five matches across all competitions, including recent wins over Rwanda and Nigeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Benin will be confident heading into Tuesday’s encounter. They remain unbeaten in their last six meetings with Rwanda, boasting four wins and two draws since their 1-0 loss in October 2011.
