Rwanda head coach Torsten Spittler handed debut call ups to four players in his provisional 38-man squad that he announced on Thursday, September 26, ahead of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers double header against Benin scheduled for October 11 and 15 respectively.
The three players plying their trade in the domestic league and one foreign-based player will be hoping to stake a claim in the team as Spittler continues his quest to build a winsome side.
Times Sport profiles the four new players that the German coach summoned in his squad for October qualifiers.
Salim Abdallah (Musanze FC)
Abdallah, 24, was born to a Rwandan mother and an Arabian father in Uganda.
He previously played for the Uganda U20 and U23 teams before Spittler invited him for the upcoming 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Benin.
Abdallah can operate as a winger and an attacking midfielder. He previously played for SC Villa and Uganda Revenue Authority SC in Uganda before having a short stint in the United Arab Emirates.
He moved to Musanze FC in the Rwanda Premier League in July 2024.
Serge Kabanda (Gasogi United)
Kabanda was promoted to the Gasogi United senior team from the youth side at the beginning of the 2023/24 season after the club released several players including striker Maxwell Djoimekou.
He shot into the limelight on January 12, 2024 scoring a brace as Gasogi defeated Rayon Sports 2-1 at the Kigali Pele Stadium. He was also instrumental as they eliminated favorites APR FC from the 2024 Peace Cup.
Kabanda is one of the budding talents in the Rwanda Premier League and he is destined for greatness. He is a versatile attacker who can also attack from the flanks aside his central striking role.
Pacifique Ngabonziza (Police FC)
Ngabonziza, 24, plays both as a central and defensive midfielder and he is noted for his combative play and ability to perfectly shield the back four.
He was promoted from the Police FC Academy to the youth team in 2019 and he has never looked back.
Ngabonziza is poised to make an impact in his first call up which could grant him a place in the team ahead of the CHAN qualifiers.
Johan Marvin Kury (Yverdon Sports)
Born in the Swiss city of La Chaix de Fonds to a Rwandan mother and a Swiss father on October 7, 2001, Kury started his professional career with the youth team of Xamax before joining BEJune U18 during the 2018/2019 season.
He went on to feature for hometown club Chaus de Fonds FC before joining Yverdon Sports on July 25, 2022.
He started from the club's youth team in the Classica Liga before being promoted to the senior side in the summer of 2023. He provided an assist on his debut against FC Basel on July 30, 2023 in a game he came on as a substitute in the 69th minute.
Kury suffered a career threatening knee injury in the course of the 2023/24 season and was out for one full year. He returned to action a month ago and has played three time for the Yverdon Sports second team as he seeks to make his way back into the main team.
Despite being a left winger, Kury can also operate as a centre forward and that will be among the main reasons he was invited. After Rwanda’s goalless draw with Nigeria in Kigali, Spittler stated that he needs strikers and the Swiss-born player could be his wild card.