Thursday

Rwanda v Brazil (3.30PM)

Rwanda women team captain Liliane Mukobwankawe is optimistic her teammates are motivated enough to stop Brazil when the pair face off in quarterfinals of the 2023 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Cup on Thursday.

Rwanda women were drawn against Brazil in the quarterfinals after finishing third in the group stages, behind Group A rivals Germany and China.

Mossad Rashad’s side had mixed results in the group stage, registering two wins against hosts Egypt and Mongolia while they lost matches against Germany and China.

But Mukobwankwe believes her team’s form has now gained momentum with which she hopes the country can send Brazil packing and secure a spot in the semifinals.

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"Our target is to knock Brazil out and qualify for the semifinals. We can do whatever it takes to achieve our goal,” she said.

"We have good and talented players with proven determination to beat any team. We just have to be focused, then we can beat anyone we face no matter who they are."

The match promises to be a balanced one considering that Rwanda is currently ranked sixth globally while Brazil are third the world rankings, just behind the United States and Canada who lead the log in the first and second positions.

The World Cup serves as a Paris 2024 Paralympic qualifier, where one berth in each of men and women’s categories is up for grabs for the winner or the highest-placed non-qualified team of the tournament.