What is the FIFA Series 2026 and Why Are Rwanda Playing Grenada?

This year’s FIFA Series is the second edition of the tournament. It’s a group of international friendlies including 48 national teams (men’s and women’s combined) from the six FIFA confederations. The teams are split into 12 groups.

Matches are hosted by 11 countries, with Rwanda staging two groups. There are nine groups with men’s teams and three with women’s. The teams include emerging football nations and established teams like Australia and Cameroon, who were 27th and 45th in the FIFA rankings, respectively, pre-tournament.

All matches are considered friendlies, but there will be semi-finals and a final included in some of the groups’ formats – including Rwanda’s. Every match, if level after 90 minutes, will go straight to a penalty shootout. 

Rwanda’s hosting

Mauritius were originally going to host a series but had to withdraw due to competing in the Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round. The series was moved to Rwanda. 

Rwanda are hosting the “Rwanda A” and “Rwanda B” groups.

Rwanda A: Estonia, Grenada, Kenya, Rwanda

Rwanda B: Aruba, Leichtenstein, Macau, Tanzania

The Wasps play Grenada on Friday March 27. The winner of that match will play the winner of Kenya v Estonia, and the losers will play each other. 

Rwanda’s final, or third place play-off if they lose against Grenada, will take place on 30 March.

Rwanda will hope for a better year in 2026 after the disappointing end to 2025 in which the side lost four straight games in World Cup qualifying.

Around this time last year, things were looking slightly brighter after a 1-1 draw with Lesotho, in which Jojea Kwizera netted the opener. Although he was born in the DR Congo, Kwizera has represented Rwanda since 2024 and currently plays his club football in the USA with Rhode Island. Kwizera had scored in the other qualification game against Lesotho, a 1-0 win for the Wasps, in 2024. 

Players to watch out for in the FIFA Series

The aforementioned Australia and Cameroon, and several other teams, have star players competing in some of the world’s biggest leagues. 

Australia’s goalkeeper is Mathew Ryan who played for Brighton and Hove Albion in England’s Premier League and is now with Levante in Spain. In front of him in defence is Kye Rowles who plays in the USA for DC United. Jackson Irvine is one of the country’s most capped midfielders and has been at St Pauli in Germany since 2021. 

Cameroon’s attack is led by Bryan Mbuemo, a standout player for Manchester United since his switch from Brentford. United are odds-on to finish in the Premier League’s top four, bet Rwanda fans and those elsewhere may consider. Mbuemo is joined in the national team by Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, who has been heavily linked with a move to United.

Chile will also be competing, and though their squad does not quite match its golden age of Alexis Sanchez, Claudio Bravo, Gary Medel, Arturo Vidal, and company, they still have some quality players: Gabriel Suazo, the Sevilla defender, Ipswich’s Marcelino Nunez, and Alexander Aravena who is currently on loan at Portland Timbers.

What’s the idea behind the FIFA Series?

The Series is designed to grow football across the world, add competition to friendlies, with the penalty shootouts viewed as an exciting alternative to draws. FIFA provides financial support to participating teams and helps organise the tournaments. Following his re-election as President, Gianni Infantino confirmed the first edition would take place, and that inaugural 2024 event was viewed as a pilot phase. 2024’s tournament included several higher-ranked teams, including Croatia (ranked 10th at the time), Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria.