Rwanda will lock horns with Botswana at the Mahamasina International Stadium in Antananarivo, Madagascar on the afternoon of Friday, March 22 in a FIFA international friendly game.

This is going to be the first ever encounter between the Amavubi and the Zebras as the two teams have never crossed each other’s paths in senior level football.

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Rwanda comes into the game on the backdrop of an impressive start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier campaign where they are topping Group C with four points, followed by South Africa with three and Nigeria with two.

Botswana on the other hand are second in Group G with three points, trailing leaders Algeria by three points.

The game gives the opportunity to the coaches of both teams – Torsten Spittler of Rwanda and Didier Gomes of Botswana to assess the strength of their teams before their next games in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.

Amavubi’s next qualifier games will be against Benin and Lesotho while Botswana will come up against Uganda and Somalia.

Though the friendly game Vs Botswana is expected to be used by Spittler to test the new players on the team, it is also a good opportunity to continue building the confidence of the boys, and therefore, a victory would be a good result.

As action unfolds, Amavubi will count on players including skipper Djihad Bizimana who has been in good form for his team, FC Kryvbas which plays in the Ukrainian league.

Youngster Hakim Sahabo, roving left-back Emmanuel Imanishimwe, and lanky central defender Ange Mutsinzi are others who can play a key role for Rwanda during the match.

For Botswana, one of their key players is Tumisang Orebonye who plays in the same team (AS FAR Rabat) as Rwanda’s Emmanuel Imanishimwe. He has netted 4 goals in 8 games at the club since joining in January 2024.