Bugesera FC striker Ani Elijah is back with the Rwanda national squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Benin and Lesotho. The matches will happen in early June, with Benin hosting Rwanda in Côte d’Ivoire and Lesotho in South Africa. Even though he wasn’t initially called up, Ani Elijah, a top player from Nigeria, attended the call-up on Monday.
Coach Frank Spittler wanted to include him but couldn’t immediately because his paperwork wasn’t ready. He assured Ani Elijah that they’d sort it out privately, but he wasn’t formally invited due to the paperwork delay.
To clear up the confusion, FERWAFA asked him to go home on Monday until they had his papers. According to IGIHE, he rejoined the team on Tuesday evening. FERWAFA hasn’t confirmed if he’s eligible to play for Rwanda or not and hadn’t hinted at any connection to the national team before. Recently, they asked Nigeria if Elijah had played for their national team, and Nigeria said no.
On Monday, news emerged that Elijah lost his citizenship, but his whereabouts were unknown by the evening. He’s been in Rwanda for a year now. FIFA’s rules say a player must meet certain criteria to play for a new country if they haven’t played for another. These include being born in the new country and wanting to play for it, having a parent or grandparent from there, or living there for at least five years after turning 18.
