Kwizera receives club-leading ninth international call-up of RIFC career
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (March 24, 2026) – Rhode Island FC announced today that midfielder Jojea Kwizera has been called up to the Rwanda Football Federation Men’s National team for the upcoming FIFA Series 2026, which will see The Wasps host a pair of international friendlies in a four-country exhibition tournament from March 27-30. Rwanda will kick off the series vs. Grenada on March 27, while the second game of the tournament will feature Kenya and Estonia. On March 30, the two winners will play each other in the final, while the remaining two countries will face off in a third-place game to conclude the four-team bracket.
Kwizera’s international call-up is his club-leading ninth as an active RIFC player. He is the second player to receive a senior call-up in 2026, following midfielder Dwayne Atkinson’s call-up for the Jamaican National team in January. Kwizera has made 11 starts in 15 career appearances for The Wasps, scoring two goals in 832 minutes across all competitions.
Kwizera has played a crucial role across several international competitions for Rwanda throughout the last two seasons. During the nation’s 2026 World Cup Qualifying campaign, Kwizera was a regular in The Wasps’ squad, making six starts in eight Confederation of African Football (CAF) Group Stage appearances and scoring two goals. On June 11, 2024, in just his second career appearance for Rwanda, Kwizera scored the first goal of his international career in a 1-0 win over Lesotho, leading his home country to three crucial points. On March 25, 2025, Kwizera struck once again vs. Lesotho, scoring the lone goal in Rwanda’s 1-1 tie.
Kwizera also featured heavily in the qualification rounds of the 2024 African Cup of Nations, starting all six games in Group D and helping Rwanda to a 2W-2L-2T record. On November 18, 2024, the midfielder highlighted his AFCON Qualifying resume with an assist in a historic 2-1 upset win over Nigeria.
Kwizera, who was called up to the Rwanda National Team four times in 2024 and four times in 2025, will miss Rhode Island FC’s game vs. Miami FC on Saturday, March 28. Kwizera signed with Rhode Island FC on Jan. 4, 2024, and has been a critical piece of a squad that featured in back-to-back USL Championship Eastern Conference Finals. The midfielder has logged 4,829 minutes in 66 career appearances for the Ocean State club across all competitions, logging six goals and eight assists. Kwizera recently opened his 2026 goalscoring account in RIFC’s 4-2 loss at Louisville City FC on March 21, picking out the top corner with a beautiful curling strike that was nominated as a finalist for the USL Championship Goal of the Week.
Before signing with Rhode Island FC, Kwizera spent the first two seasons of his professional career with Major League Soccer side CF Montréal, playing 407 minutes across 12 regular season appearances. Prior to his time in Montréal, Kwizera spent time playing at the collegiate level at both Utah State University Eastern and Utah Valley University.
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