Burundi national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Burundi women's national football team.

Burundi

Nickname(s)	Intamba Les Hirondelles The Chayfs (The Swallows)
Association	Football Federation of Burundi
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	CECAFA (East & Central Africa)
Head coach	Etienne Ndayiragije
Captain	Saido Berahino
Most caps	Karim Nizigiyimana (64)
Top scorer	Fiston Abdul Razak (19)
Home stadium	Intwari Stadium
FIFA code	BDI
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	139 (19 December 2024)
Highest	96 (August 1993)
Lowest	160 (July 1998)
First international
Uganda 7–0 Burundi (Kampala, Uganda; 9 October 1964)
Biggest win
Burundi 8–1 Seychelles (Moroni, Comoros; 4 September 2021) Burundi 7–0 Djibouti (Bujumbura, Burundi; 11 March 2017)
Biggest defeat
Congo 8–0 Burundi (Cameroon; 24 December 1977)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	1 (first in 2019)
Best result	Group stage (2019)

The Burundi national football team, nicknamed The Swallows (Template:Lang-fr; Template:Lang-rn), represents Burundi in international football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Burundi. The team has never qualified for the World Cup. Burundi previously did come very close to qualifying for the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, losing only on penalties to Guinea in a playoff. However, in 2019, it qualified for the first time, and took part in the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Group B, but lost all its matches and left from the group stage without scoring a single goal.

History

Difficult beginnings (1974–1992)

The Burundi football team was created in 1971 by the Football Federation of Burundi. The Swallows' first match was in a 1976 African Cup of Nations qualification match against Somalia, which ended in a 2–0 victory. Following a 1–0 loss in the second leg, Burundi qualified to meet Egypt in the next round where they lost 5–0 on aggregate and were eliminated. It would be seventeen years before Burundi played another AFCON qualifying match. In their first twenty years, Burundi played in twenty fixtures and managed 6 wins, 2 draws and 12 defeats. The current owner of the African football club "Burundi FC" is Nikolaos Ptohis Papanikolaou, a Greek International Arms Dealer. He bought the club for 580 trillion Zimbabwe dollars from local business man Antonius Eric Bartholomeus Willem Albada Jelgersma Papazis Meijer.

Narrowly missing qualification (1992–1998)

In 1992, Burundi entered the qualification rounds for the FIFA World Cup for the first time, but were eliminated in the first round following one win (1–0 against Ghana), one draw (0–0 against Algeria) and two losses in the reverse fixtures to finish bottom of the group. Burundi then finished joint top in their 1994 African Cup of Nations qualification group however they lost their play-off match against Guinea on penalties. Due to the Burundian Civil War, Burundi withdrew from the 1996 and 1998 AFCON qualifiers and, despite beating Sierra Leone 2–0 on aggregate and qualifying for the final round of the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, they withdrew again.

African Cup of Nations qualifiers (2000–2015)

Following successive withdrawals from the AFCON qualifiers, Burundi returned for the 2000 competition, beating Tanzania in the preliminary rounds before finishing third in their group behind Burkina Faso and Senegal. In the 2002 qualifiers, Burundi again advanced to the group stages of qualification by beating Djibouti (4–1), but finished last in their group with only two points. In 2004, Burundi performed even worse, collecting no points and finishing last behind South Africa and Ivory Coast. In 2008 Burundi finished five points behind leaders Egypt and didn't make it through to the next round. In 2012 Burundi were even further adrift, finishing thirteen points behind group winners Ivory Coast. For the 2013 qualifiers, Burundi failed to advance due to away goals against Zimbabwe (2–2), and in 2015 they lost to Botswana (1–0) .

FIFA World Cup qualifiers (2002–2014)

Burundi did not participate in the 2002 qualification process but re-entered in 2006, only to get knocked out by Gabon in the first round (4–1). In 2010, Burundi managed two victories, both against Seychelles but failed to go through behind Burkina Faso and Tunisia. The 2006 and 2010 qualifiers doubled as qualification for the FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations. The following qualification cycle, Burundi were eliminated by Lesotho in the first round (3–2).

First CAN qualification (2017–present)

After falling in the second qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup against DR Congo, Burundi focused on convincing Gaël Bigirimana and Saido Berahino to come and play for the selection, both playing in Europe (for Hibernian and Stoke City respectively). Both players agreed and Berahino scored on his debut to earn the team a 1–1 draw against Gabon. In March 2019, in the final group game, Burundi played a decisive match against Gabon needing only one point to qualify. The match ended in a draw (1–1), with a goal from Cédric Amissi earning Burundi their first opportunity to play in the Africa Cup of Nations. Burundi lost all three of their matches at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, failing to register a single goal.

Team image

Colours

Traditionally, the Burundi team wears the three colours of its flag: red, green and white.

Sponsors

During these beginnings, Burundi is equipped by Erreà, an Italian sports brand. In 2012, he signed a contract with Adidas for a period of 10 years. Despite this long-term contract with Adidas, Burundi is committed in 2018 with Nike. She even signs a contract with Lumitel (a phone brand).

Stadium

The Burundi team have played most of their matches in Bujumbura at the Intwari Stadium. The second match in its history, Burundi is playing its first home match against Somalia (3–0 victory). The Prince Louis Rwagasore stadium is home to Vital'O FC and Prince Louis FC, as well as the national team. The stadium has been renovated several times, notably in March 2018, due to a flooded pitch.

Supporters

During the matches at the Prince Louis Rwagasore stadium, the Burundian supporters are often outnumbered, in particular because of the rather low capacity of the stadium (10,000 seats) for around 13,000 spectators. Just like the players, the supporters dress in red, green and white and bring the flag of the country. During the match in March 2019 against Gabon, the authorities have made additional seats available because of the lack of space in the stands.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2022

Bahrain v Burundi

26 March Friendly	Bahrain	1–0	Burundi	Riffa, Bahrain
19:00 UTC+3:00	Kamil Al Aswad 76'	Report		Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium Attendance: 70 Referee: Ali Al Samaheeji (Bahrain)

Liberia v Burundi

29 March Friendly	Liberia	1–2	Burundi	Aksu, Turkey
11:00 UTC+3:00	Teah 46'	Report	Bimenyimana 4', 33'	Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex

Namibia v Burundi

4 June 2023 AFCON qualification	Namibia	1–1	Burundi	Johannesburg, South Africa
14:00 UTC+1	Shalulile 10'	Report	Bimenyimana 88'	Stadium: Orlando Stadium Referee: Thulani Sibandze (Eswatini)

Burundi v Cameroon

9 June 2023 AFCON qualification	Burundi	0–1	Cameroon	Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
16:00 UTC+3		Report	Toko Ekambi 30'	Stadium: National Stadium Referee: Souleiman Ahmed Djama (Djibouti)

Ivory Coast v Burundi

16 November Friendly	Ivory Coast	4–0	Burundi	Marrakesh, Morocco
	Krasso 10' Gradel 45+1' Sangaré 58' Pépé 63'	Report		Stadium: Stade de Marrakech Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco)

Guinea U23 v Burundi

19 November Friendly	Guinea U23	0–1	Burundi	Marrakesh, Morocco
		Report	Niyongabire	Stadium: Stade de Marrakech

2023

Indonesia v Burundi

25 March FIFA Friendly	Indonesia	3–1	Burundi	Bekasi, Indonesia
20:30 UTC+7	Yakob 6' Dendy 14' Ridho 44'	Report	Niyongabire 51'	Stadium: Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium Attendance: 4,448 Referee: Razlan Joffri Ali (Malaysia)

Burundi v Indonesia

Burundi v Namibia

June 2023 AFCON qualification

Burundi

v

Namibia

Cameroon v Burundi

September 2023 AFCON qualification

Cameroon

v

Burundi

Cameroon

Coaches

• Nikolay Yefimov (Until 1991)
• Baudouin Ribakare (1992)
• Aleksandr Rakitsky (1993–1996)
• Baudouin Ribakare (1997–2004)
• Adel Amrouche (2007–2012)
• Lofty Naseem (2012–2014)
• Rainer Willfeld (2014–2015)
• Ahcene Aït-Abdelmalek (2015–2016)
• Olivier Niyungeko (2016–2019)
• Joslin Bipfubusa (2020)
• Jimmy Ndayizeye (2020–2022)
• Etienne Ndayiragije (2023–)

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the friendly match against Indonesia on 25 and 28 March 2023.

Caps and goals are correct as of 25 March 2023, after the match against  Indonesia.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Fabien Mutombora	(1997-04-07) 7 April 1997	6	0	Vipers
13	1GK	Justin Ndikumana	(1993-03-01) 1 March 1993	4	0	Coastal Union
18	1GK	Onésime Rukundo	(1999-04-09) 9 April 1999	11	0	Le Messager
2	2DF	Karim Nizigiyimana	(1989-06-21) 21 June 1989	64	0	Gasogi United
3	2DF	Rashid Léon Harerimana	(1994-03-14) 14 March 1994	34	0	Kayanza United
6	2DF	Marco Weymans	(1997-07-09) 9 July 1997	10	0	Beerschot
16	2DF	Collins Muhindo Mashauri	(2001-05-05) 5 May 2001	1	0	Aigle Noir Makamba
22	2DF	Christophe Nduwarugira	(1994-06-22) 22 June 1994	41	7	Académico Viseu
4	3MF	Emmanuel Mvuyekure	(1993-06-10) 10 June 1993	0	0	KMC
8	3MF	Stève Nzigamasabo	(1990-12-10) 10 December 1990	21	1	KMC
10	3MF	Shassiri Nahimana	(1993-08-05) 5 August 1993	38	2	Vital'O
14	3MF	Jospin Nshimirimana	(2001-12-12) 12 December 2001	11	8	Yeni Malatyaspor
19	3MF	Ismail Nshimirimana	(2000-01-01) 1 January 2000	7	0	Kiyovu Sports
20	3MF	Omar Moussa	(1997-08-30) 30 August 1997	20	0	Police
21	3MF	Abedi Bigirimana	(2002-01-01) 1 January 2002	6	0	Kiyovu Sports
23	3MF	Saidi Ntibazonkiza	(1987-05-01) 1 May 1987	28	13	Simba
7	4FW	Elvis Kamsoba	(1996-06-27) 27 June 1996	5	0	Sepahan
9	4FW	Saido Berahino (Captain)	(1993-08-04) 4 August 1993	16	1	AEL Limassol
11	4FW	Hussein Shabani	(1990-06-26) 26 June 1990	22	1	AS Kigali
12	4FW	Bienvenue Kanakimana	(1999-12-28) 28 December 1999	6	0	MFK Vyškov
15	4FW	Richard Kirongozi Bazombwa	(2000-06-13) 13 June 2000	0	0	Bumamuru
17	4FW	Aaron Musore	(1999-12-28) 28 December 1999	3	0	Green Eagles
24	4FW	Pacifique Niyongabire	(2000-03-15) 15 March 2000	2	1	Valour FC
25	4FW	Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana	(1997-11-21) 21 November 1997	18	4	Kaizer Chiefs

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Burundi in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Dieudonné Ntibahezwa	(1998-02-02) 2 February 1998	0	0	Flambeau	v. Indonesia; 25 March 2023 PRE
GK	Jonathan Nahimana	(1999-12-12) 12 December 1999	31	0	KMC	v. Ivory Coast; 16 November 2022
GK	Aladin Bizimana	(2000-04-01) 1 April 2000	0	0	RFC Warnant	v. Ivory Coast; 16 November 2022
DF	Frédéric Nsabiyumva	(1995-04-26) 26 April 1995	39	0	Västerås	v. Indonesia; 25 March 2023 PRE
DF	Youssouf Ndayishimiye	(1998-10-27) 27 October 1998	18	1	Nice	v. Indonesia; 25 March 2023 INJ
DF	Derrick Mukombozi	(1999-04-26) 26 April 1999	2	0	Nkana	v. Indonesia; 25 March 2023 PRE
DF	Diamant Ramazani	(1999-02-18) 18 February 1999	7	0	Almería	v. Ivory Coast; 16 November 2022
DF	Samuel Ndizeye		0	0	Rayon Sports	v. Ivory Coast; 16 November 2022
DF	Aime Nihorimbere	(2000-01-11) 11 January 2000	0	0	Mikkelin Palloilijat	v. Ivory Coast; 16 November 2022
DF	Eric Ndizeye	(1999-08-22) 22 August 1999	13	0	Free agent	v. Cameroon; 9 June 2022
DF	Philip Oslev	(1994-11-27) 27 November 1994	6	0	AB	v. Cameroon; 9 June 2022
DF	Emery Nimubona	(1992-02-01) 1 February 1992	21	0	Police	v. Djibouti; 29 July 2022
DF	Issa Hakizimana	(1994-08-28) 28 August 1994	5	0	Flambeau du Centre	v. Djibouti; 29 July 2022
DF	Moussa Muryango	(1999-05-25) 25 May 1999	4	0	Lipuli	v. Djibouti; 29 July 2022
DF	Aime Vallance Nihorimbere	(2000-01-11) 11 January 2000	0	0	Mikkelin Palloilijat	v. Liberia; 29 March 2022
MF	Gaël Bigirimana	(1993-10-22) 22 October 1993	22	0	Young Africans	v. Ivory Coast; 16 November 2022
MF	Trésor Mossi	(2001-08-28) 28 August 2001	0	0	K.V.C. Westerlo	v. Ivory Coast; 16 November 2022
MF	Amissi Bizimana		3	0	Sofapaka	v. Cameroon; 9 June 2022
MF	Cédric Urasenga	(1990-08-02) 2 August 1990	18	3	Le Messager Ngozi	v. Djibouti; 29 July 2022
MF	Eric Mbirizi	(1998-04-20) 20 April 1998	2	0	Inter Star	v. Djibouti; 29 July 2022
MF	Leonard Gakwaya		1	0	Flambeau du Centre	v. Djibouti; 29 July 2022
FW	Cédric Amissi	(1990-03-20) 20 March 1990	54	10	Al-Qadsiah	v. Indonesia; 25 March 2023 PRE
FW	Mohamed Amissi	(2000-08-03) 3 August 2000	18	0	Unattached	v. Indonesia; 25 March 2023 PRE
FW	Irakoze Donasiyano	(1998-02-03) 3 February 1998	1	0	Oakland Roots SC	v. Indonesia; 25 March 2023 PRE
FW	Sudi Abdallah	(2000-01-05) 5 January 2000	2	0	Kuching City	v. Ivory Coast; 16 November 2022
FW	Patrick Kanianga	(2001-08-03) 3 August 2001	0	0	Sakaryaspor	v. Ivory Coast; 13 November 2022
FW	Blaise Bigirimana	(1998-11-04) 4 November 1998	9	3	Namungo	v. Cameroon; 9 June 2022
FW	Landry Ndikumana	(1992-10-05) 5 October 1992	10	2	Muktijoddha SKC	v. Djibouti; 29 July 2022
FW	Aimé Gakiza	(1996-09-23) 23 September 1996	5	1	Flambeau du Centre	v. Djibouti; 29 July 2022
FW	Akbar Muderi	(2002-01-01) 1 January 2002	2	1	Le Messager Ngozi	v. Djibouti; 29 July 2022
FW	Abdourahmani Rukundo	(1999-05-07) 7 May 1999	2	0	Flambeau du Centre	v. Djibouti; 29 July 2022
FW	Jordi Liongola	(2000-05-17) 17 May 2000	2	0	La Louvière	v. Liberia; 29 March 2022
DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up. INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. PRE Preliminary squad. RET Player has retired from international football. WIT Withdrew from the squad SUS Suspended from the national team, red or yellow cards.

Player records

As of 2 January 2023

Players in bold are still active with Burundi.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Karim Nizigiyimana	63	0	2006–present
2	Cédric Amissi	55	10	2009–present
3	Gaël Duhayindavyi	50	2	2011–2019
4	Fiston Abdul Razak	49	19	2009–present
5	Hassan Hakizimana	46	1	2007–2014
	Pierre Kwizera	46	3	2009–2019
7	Christophe Nduwarugira	40	7	2012–present
8	Frédéric Nsabiyumva	39	0	2013–present
9	Shassiri Nahimana	37	2	2013–present
10	Rashid Léon Harerimana	33	0	2013–present
	Selemani Ndikumana	33	12	2003–2019

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Fiston Abdul Razak	19	49	0.39	2009–present
2	Saidi Ntibazonkiza	13	28	0.46	2004–present
3	Selemani Ndikumana	12	33	0.36	2003–2019
4	Cédric Amissi	10	55	0.18	2009–present
5	Jospin Nshimirimana	8	9	0.89	2020–present
	Papa Claude Nahimana	8	29	0.28	2007–2013
7	Christophe Nduwarugira	7	39	0.18	2012–present
8	Amissi Tambwe	6	25	0.24	2011–present
9	Laudit Mavugo	5	22	0.23	2011–2019
10	Abdallah Irambona	4	14	0.29	2000–2009
	Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana	4	17	0.24	2017–present
	Henri Mbazumutima	4	27	0.15	2003–2011
	Didier Kavumbagu	4	32	0.13	2009–2015

Competitive record

World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record										FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1930	Part of Belgium									Part of Belgium
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966	Not affiliated to CAF									Not affiliated to CAF
1970
1974	did not enter									Declined participation
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994	did not qualify									4	1	1	2	2	4
1998	Withdrew during qualifying									2	2	0	0	2	0
2002	Withdrew									Withdrew
2006	did not qualify									2	0	1	1	1	4
2010										6	2	0	4	5	9
2014										2	0	1	1	2	3
2018										4	2	0	2	5	6
2022										2	0	2	0	2	2
2026	to be determined									to be determined
Total		0/22								22	7	5	10	19	28

Africa Cup of Nations record

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957 to 1962	Part of Belgium
1963 to 1972	Not affiliated to CAF
1974	did not enter
1976	did not qualify
1978	did not enter
1980	Withdrew
1982 to 1992	did not enter
1994	did not qualify
1996	did not enter
1998	Withdrew
2000 to 2017	did not qualify
2019	Group stage	22nd	3	0	0	3	0	4
2021	did not qualify
2023	to be determined
2025
Total	Group stage	1/33	3	0	0	3	0	4

African Nations Championship record

African Nations Championship
Appearances: 1
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2009	did not qualify
2011
2014	Group stage	10th	3	1	1	1	4	4
2016	did not qualify
2018
2020
2022
Total	Group stage	1/7	3	1	1	1	4	4

CECAFA Cup record

Main article: CECAFA Cup

External links

• Burundi Football Federation