Under Kigali lights, Liberia's long wait for another Africa Cup of Nations appearance begins with a difficult test.

The Lone Star will open its 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign Friday against Rwanda at the State Amahoro Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m.

Liberia arrives in Kigali with renewed confidence, a revamped squad, and a clear objective: take the first step toward ending a more than two-decade wait for a place at Africa's biggest football tournament.

Liberia last appeared at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2002 in Mali. Since then, successive generations of players have tried, and failed, to take the country back to the continental stage.

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Now, Mohammed Adil Erradi has been handed the responsibility of changing that story.

The Belgian-Moroccan coach signed a three-year contract with the Liberia Football Association and has begun reshaping a team that has shown flashes of quality but struggled for consistency.

Friday's match will provide the clearest early test of whether that rebuilding process is taking shape.

A different-looking Lone Star

Liberia's latest performance offers reason for optimism.The Lone Star defeated Sierra Leone 3-1 in its most recent outing, responding strongly after losing the first meeting between the two sides 1-0.

The victory ended a five-game winless run and highlighted some of the changes Erradi has been demanding from his players.

Liberia pressed higher, moved the ball with greater purpose and looked more compact without possession. In attack, players had more freedom to exploit spaces in the final third.

Those improvements will be needed again in Kigali.

Liberia's recent results have been unpredictable. A 2-2 draw against Libya and the 3-1 victory over Sierra Leone showed the team's attacking potential, but defensive lapses have also remained a concern.

Erradi will now hope to maintain the balance between attacking ambition and defensive discipline against a Rwanda side playing on home soil.

Rwanda's defensive challenge

Rwanda enters the contest with its own sense of momentum. The Amavubi began the year with a 4-0 victory over Grenada before beating Estonia 2-0 in the FIFA Series in March.

Those results came after a difficult World Cup qualifying campaign in which Rwanda won just one of 10 matches.

Coach Stephen Constantine has since overseen an improvement in the team's defensive organization. Rwanda has kept clean sheets in its last two matches, suggesting Liberia could face a side that is prepared to remain compact and frustrate its opponents.

That could make Friday's contest a battle between Rwanda's structured defensive approach and Liberia's more transition-oriented style.

Experience returns

Erradi has also strengthened his squad with the return of several experienced players.

Captain Oscar Dorley is expected to play a central role in Liberia's midfield after recently moving from the Czech Republic to the Saudi Pro League.

Viktoria Plzen defender Sampson Dweh and midfielder Solomon Tweh, who missed Erradi's first two matches in charge, are also back in the squad.

Veteran striker Kpah Sherman is expected to provide leadership and experience in attack, while Ayouba Kosiah offers another option in the final third.

The combination of experienced campaigners and younger players gives Erradi several options as he looks to establish a team capable of competing over a demanding qualifying campaign.

History favors neither side

The history between Liberia and Rwanda is limited but memorable.

The two nations have met only twice in competitive matches, during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

Liberia won the first encounter 3-2 at home before Rwanda responded with a commanding 4-0 victory in the return fixture.

More recently, Liberia has shown that it can compete when playing in the region. The Lone Star has avoided defeat in its last three matches in southern and eastern Africa, drawing 2-2 with South Africa, 1-1 with Namibia and 2-2 with Malawi.

Those results could provide confidence ahead of another challenging away assignment.

More than a football match

The buildup to Friday's game has extended beyond the pitch.

The Liberian government has increased financial incentives for the national team, with the win bonus now raised to $2,500. Players are also set to receive $2,500 in appearance fees.

Meanwhile, Liberians living in Kigali, including students and members of the wider Liberian community in East Africa, are expected to turn out in numbers to support the Lone Star.

For a team seeking to reconnect with its supporters, their presence could provide an important boost inside the stadium. For Erradi, Friday is more than the opening game of a qualifying campaign. It is the first major test of a project designed to take Liberia back to the Africa Cup of Nations.

The road to the tournament will be long, and the Lone Star cannot afford to look beyond its opening assignment.

Rwanda stands between Liberia and a positive start. In Kigali, the Lone Star will have 90 minutes to show whether the new era can produce a different ending to a story Liberia has been trying to rewrite for more than 20 years.