South Africa beat Rwanda and return to the World Cup after 16 years

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Gazeta Esportiva.com

·14 October 2025

South Africa beat Rwanda and return to the World Cup after 16 years

This Tuesday, South Africa defeated Rwanda 3-0 at Mbombela Stadium in the 10th round of Group C of the African Qualifiers and secured a spot for the 2026 World Cup. The last time the team participated in the world championship was in 2010.

Standings Situation

With the result, South Africa reached 18 points and finished the group stage in the lead. Rwanda, on the other hand, remained with 11 points, in fifth position in Group C.

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📋 Match Summary

🟡SOUTH AFRICA 3 X 0 RWANDA🔵

🏆 Competition: 10th round of Group C of the African Qualifiers 🏟️ Venue: Mbombela Stadium, in Nelspruit 📅 Date: October 14, 2025 (Tuesday) ⏰ Time: 1 PM (Brasília time)

Goals

⚽ Thalente Mbatha, at 5′ of the 1st half (South Africa)
⚽ Oswin Appollis, at 26′ of the 1st half (South Africa)
⚽ Evidence Makgopa, at 27′ of the 2nd half (South Africa)

How the Game Was

South Africa opened the scoring five minutes into the game. Thalente Mbatha received the ball at the edge of the box and shot powerfully towards the goal, causing goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari to fumble the ball, which slipped through his hands and into the net.

At 26 minutes, Oswin Appollis extended the lead for South Africa. The forward capitalized on a loose ball in the penalty area and struck it first-time into the top corner of the opponent's goal, scoring a stunner.

South Africa's third goal came at 27 minutes of the second half, with Evidence Makgopa. The striker took advantage of a corner kick from the right side and headed the ball at the near post to score.

Next Game

South Africa

South Africa vs Angola (1st round of the African Cup of Nations) Date and Time: 12/22 (Monday) at 4:30 PM Venue: Marrakech Stadium, in Morocco

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.