Facing Rwanda should ordinarily not be a daunting prospect for a heavyweight like the Super Eagles.
However, as the two teams prepare for their latest meeting, a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday, Nigeria fans are watching on with bated breath.
It may have taken Rwanda two decades to beat the Super Eagles — doing so during the last international break, courtesy of a 2-1 win on the latter's soil — but the Amavubi now boast an impressive record against the three-time African champions, having lost just two of their eight meetings.
Nigeria vs Rwanda H2H
| Nigeria | Rwanda | |
| Matches Played | 7 | 7 |
| Wins | 2 | 1 |
| Draws | 4 | 4 |
| Losses | 1 | 2 |
| Goals Scored | 6 | 3 |
As the Super Eagles travel to Kigali for the crunch fixture, the objective will be to not just get their troubled qualifying campaign back on track, but to deliver an emphatic result over a team they have netted against just six times in all.
Super Eagles' struggles against other minnows in Africa
Rwanda are not the only so-called minnows that have had Nigeria's number, in fact.
Their East African neighbours, Uganda, have also beaten the Super Eagles in four out of their eight contests. Since the most recent of the two defeats they have suffered — in June 2007 — the Cranes have twice prevailed over their more illustrious opponents.
There is also Guinea who, despite being of a comparatively weaker standing than Nigeria, hold a dead-even record against the three-time Africa champions.
Before their most recent meeting at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, which the Super Eagles won by a lone goal, they had failed to beat Guinea in four previous meetings going all the way back to 1997.
