Benin have a suffered a major injury blow as they prepare for their World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Rwanda and Nigeria on June 6 and June 10 respectively without inform forward Andreas Hountondji.

The Rodez AF attacker withdrew from the Benin squad after failing to recover from an injury he sustained during the Ligue 1 qualification playoff game against AS Saint-Étienne on May 24.

Hountondji, 21, has been on fire in the French Ligue 2 during the just-concluded season scoring 14 goals in 34 second tier games.

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Benin’s technical team, led by veteran gaffer Gernot Rohr, maintains they will not call any replacement.

Benin, who sit at the bottom of Group C with one point, will host both Rwanda and Nigeria at the Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, after Stade de l'Amitie in Cotonou was rejected by African football governing body (CAF) for failing to meet standards required to host World Cup qualifiers.