'Nigeria, South Africa thought it was going to be easy' - Rwanda captain on fierce battle in Group C

Rwanda captain Jihad Bizimana has reflected on the intensity of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, noting that Group C has turned out to be far more competitive than many had anticipated.

Nigeria's Super Eagles and South Africa's Bafana Bafana were widely tipped to secure the automatic ticket to next year's tournament, but their destinies are no longer in their own hands heading into the final matchday.

In a stunning twist, Benin, ranked 20th in Africa by Fifa, sit at the top of Group C with 17 points, two ahead of South Africa (9th in Africa) and Nigeria (6th).

Before the October fixtures, both Rwanda and Lesotho still had a mathematical chance of qualifying for the tournament in North America, but their hopes were dashed following narrow defeats to the Cheetahs and the Super Eagles, respectively.

Bizimana noted that the so-called underdogs have shown remarkable progress, turning the group into one of the most fiercely contested in the African zone.

Speaking at Monday's press conference, the Al-Ahli midfielder told reporters: "This group, from the beginning, if you look at the first game, maybe you could see that Nigeria or South Africa thought it was going to be easy for them.

"Now this shows that the level of African competition is improving for every team, because if you're playing until the last game of the campaign, it means that every team in the group was a contender."

The captain also praised the resilience and growth of the lesser-fancied nations, highlighting how sides like Rwanda, Lesotho and Zimbabwe have challenged the traditional hierarchy in African football.

"That's a very good thing for Africa, and a very good thing for our team, because normally, most of the time, we are the underdogs-Rwanda, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe.

"Now you can see that until the last minute it’s still open, so that's very good."

Rwanda, who are now fourth in the standings, face South Africa at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit: ferwafa.rw

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