Zimbabwe vs Rwanda prediction, H2H and probable line-ups – 9 September 2025
Ileana Sanchez
Dailysports's expert
On Tuesday, September 9, in the 8th round of CAF World Cup 2026 qualifying, Zimbabwe will host Rwanda. I’m offering a bet on the winner of this match.
Key facts and head-to-head history
- Zimbabwe have won just 1 of their last 12 matches.
- Rwanda are winless in their last 5 games.
- Neither team has ever qualified for the World Cup finals.
- In the first round of qualifying, Rwanda and Zimbabwe played out a 0-0 draw.
- In 4 official encounters between these sides, Zimbabwe have the edge with 2 wins to Rwanda’s 1.
Match preview
Zimbabwe are considered solid mid-table contenders in African football. The “Warriors” secured qualification for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, finishing ahead of Kenya and Namibia. However, with only 4 points, Zimbabwe sit at the bottom of their World Cup qualifying group and have already lost any mathematical chance of progressing to the finals.
On Friday, Zimbabwe suffered a 1-2 away defeat to Benin, effectively ending their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup. Prior to that, Zimbabwe drew with Nigeria (1-1) and Benin (2-2).
Rwanda, like Zimbabwe, have never enjoyed major successes in their footballing history. The “Wasps” failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, picking up 8 points in their qualifying group. Benin finished on the same points tally but edged Rwanda out on head-to-head criteria.
Nevertheless, Rwanda still have a chance to finish second in their World Cup qualifying group, but to do so, they must defeat Zimbabwe. Rwanda currently have 8 points, trailing Benin by three points in the race for second place. In their previous match, Rwanda lost 0-1 away to Nigeria.
Probable line-ups
- Zimbabwe: Arubi, Divine — Kadede — Garananga — Emmanuel, Jordan — Knowledge — Nakamba, Kadewere — Tawanda — Maswanhise
- Rwanda: Fiacre, Claude — Manzi — Ange — Bonheur, Innocent, Kavita — Gilbert — Bizimana — Fitina, Hamon
Zimbabwe vs Rwanda prediction
Zimbabwe are already out of contention and have looked unconvincing of late. I’m backing the visitors to win this one.
