Burundi national football team

National association football team
Burundi
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Intamba
Les Hirondelles
The Chayfs
(The Swallows)
AssociationFootball Federation of Burundi
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationCECAFA
(East & Central Africa)
Head coachEtienne Ndayiragije
CaptainSaido Berahino
Most capsKarim Nizigiyimana (64)
Top scorerFiston Abdul Razak (19)
Home stadiumIntwari Stadium
FIFA codeBDI
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 140 Decrease 1 (15 February 2024)[1]
Highest96 (August 1993)
Lowest160 (July 1998)
First international
 Uganda 7–0 Burundi 
(Kampala, Uganda; 9 October 1964)[2]
Biggest win
 Burundi 7–0 Djibouti 
(Bujumbura, Burundi; 11 March 2017)
 Burundi 8–1 Seychelles 
(Moroni, Comoros; 4 September 2021)
Biggest defeat
 Congo 8–0 Burundi 
(Cameroon; 24 December 1977)[2]
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances1 (first in 2019)
Best resultGroup stage (2019)

The Burundi national football team, nicknamed The Swallows (French: Les Hirondelles; Kirundi: Intamba m'Urugamba), 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.

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.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

Indonesia  v  Burundi
25 March Friendly Indonesia  3–1  Burundi Bekasi, Indonesia
20:30 UTC+7
Report Stadium: Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium
Attendance: 4,448
Referee: Razlan Joffri Ali (Malaysia)
Burundi  v  Indonesia
28 March Friendly Burundi  2–2  Indonesia Bekasi, Indonesia
20:30 UTC+7
Report
Stadium: Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium
Attendance: 2,018
Referee: Razlan Joffri Ali (Malaysia)
Burundi  v  Namibia
20 June 2023 AFCON qualification Burundi  3–2  Namibia Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
16:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: Boubou Traoré (Mali)
Cameroon  v  Burundi
12 September 2023 AFCON qualification Cameroon  3–0  Burundi Garoua, Cameroon
20:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Roumdé Adjia Stadium
Referee: Abongile Tom (South Africa)
Burundi  v  Gambia
16 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Burundi  3–2  Gambia Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
16:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Benjamin Mkapa (National Stadium)
Referee: Djindo Louis Houngnandande (Benin)
Burundi  v  Gabon
19 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Burundi  1–2  Gabon Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
16:00 UTC+3
  • Bigirimana 87'
Report Stadium: Benjamin Mkapa (National Stadium)
Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal)

2024

Burundi  v  Algeria
9 January Friendly Burundi  0–4  Algeria Lomé, Togo
15:00 UTC±0 Stadium: Stade de Kégué
Referee: Aklesso Gnama (Togo)
Madagascar  v  Burundi
22 March Friendly Madagascar  1–0  Burundi Antananarivo, Madagascar
13:00 UTC+3 Stadium: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium
Burundi  v  Botswana
25 March Friendly Burundi  v  Botswana Antananarivo, Madagascar
Stadium: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium
Kenya  v  Burundi
2 June 2026 World Cup qualification Kenya  v  Burundi
Seychelles  v  Burundi
9 June 2026 World Cup qualification Seychelles  v  Burundi

Coaches

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the friendly match against Algeria on 9 January 2024.[4]

Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2023, after the match against  Gabon.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Jonathan Nahimana (1999-12-12) 12 December 1999 (age 24) 33 0 Tanzania Namungo
1GK Justin Ndikumana (1993-03-01) 1 March 1993 (age 31) 4 0 Tanzania Coastal Union

2DF Derrick Mukombozi (1999-04-26) 26 April 1999 (age 24) 5 0 Zambia Nkana
2DF Eric Ndizeye (1999-08-22) 22 August 1999 (age 24) 2 0 Rwanda Kiyovu Sports
2DF Keita Bukuru (2005-04-05) 5 April 2005 (age 18) 0 0 Burundi Aigle Noir Makamba
2DF Samuel Ndizeye 0 0 Rwanda Police
2DF Aime Vaillance Nihorimbere (2000-01-11) 11 January 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Norway FK Gjøvik-Lyn

3MF Gaël Bigirimana (1993-10-22) 22 October 1993 (age 30) 22 0 Tanzania Young Africans
3MF Yannick Nkurunziza (2002-06-20) 20 June 2002 (age 21) 22 0 North Macedonia KF Gostivari
3MF Abedi Bigirimana (2002-01-01) 1 January 2002 (age 22) 11 4 Rwanda Kiyovu Sports
3MF Elvis Kamsoba (1996-06-27) 27 June 1996 (age 27) 6 0 Indonesia PSS Sleman
3MF Richard Kirongozi Bazombwa (2000-06-13) 13 June 2000 (age 23) 5 0 Burundi Bumamuru
3MF Aaron Musore (1999-12-28) 28 December 1999 (age 24) 5 0 Zambia Green Eagles
3MF Irakoze Donasiyano (1998-02-03) 3 February 1998 (age 26) 1 0 United States Oakland Roots
3MF Emmanuel Mvuyekure (1993-06-10) 10 June 1993 (age 30) 1 0 Tanzania KMC
3MF Abdoul Karim Mpawenimana (2002-10-22) 22 October 2002 (age 21) 0 0 Burundi Rukinzo
3MF Elie Mukono 0 0
3MF Abdourahmani Rukundo (1999-05-07) 7 May 1999 (age 24) 0 0 Rwanda Amagaju

4FW Abdul Razak Fiston (1991-09-05) 5 September 1991 (age 32) 52 19 Kenya Sofapaka
4FW Bienvenue Kanakimana (1999-12-28) 28 December 1999 (age 24) 10 0 Czech Republic Jablonec
4FW Pacifique Niyongabire (2000-03-15) 15 March 2000 (age 24) 5 1 Canada Valour FC
4FW Abdallah Sudi (2000-01-05) 5 January 2000 (age 24) 5 1 Malaysia Kuching City
4FW Jean-Claude Girumugisha (2004-09-18) 18 September 2004 (age 19) 1 0 Burundi Magara Young Boys
4FW Alfred Nkurunziza (2004-01-01) 1 January 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Burundi Bumamuru

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 Onésime Rukundo (1999-04-09) 9 April 1999 (age 24) 14 0 Burundi Le Messager Ngozi v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023
GK Fabien Mutombora (1997-04-07) 7 April 1997 (age 26) 6 0 Uganda Vipers v.  Namibia; 20 June 2023
GK Aladin Bizimana (2000-04-01) 1 April 2000 (age 23) 0 0 Belgium RFC Warnant v.  Namibia; 20 June 2023
GK Dieudonné Ntibahezwa (1998-02-02) 2 February 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Burundi Flambeau du Centre v.  Indonesia; 25 March 2023 PRE

DF Christophe Nduwarugira (1994-06-22) 22 June 1994 (age 29) 45 6 Portugal Académico Viseu v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023
DF Frédéric Nsabiyumva (1995-04-26) 26 April 1995 (age 28) 43 1 Sweden Västerås v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023
DF Youssouf Ndayishimiye (1998-10-27) 27 October 1998 (age 25) 21 1 France Nice v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023
DF Marco Weymans (1997-07-09) 9 July 1997 (age 26) 10 0 Belgium Beerschot v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023
DF Rashid Léon Harerimana (1994-03-14) 14 March 1994 (age 30) 36 0 Burundi Kayanza United v.  Namibia; 20 June 2023
DF David Nshimirimana (1993-02-01) 1 February 1993 (age 31) 29 0 Kenya Sofapaka v.  Namibia; 20 June 2023
DF Ismail Nshimirimana (2000-01-01) 1 January 2000 (age 24) 8 0 Rwanda Kiyovu Sports v.  Namibia; 20 June 2023
DF Collins Muhindo Mashauri (2001-05-05) 5 May 2001 (age 22) 2 0 Burundi Aigle Noir Makamba v.  Namibia; 20 June 2023
DF Karim Nizigiyimana (1989-06-21) 21 June 1989 (age 34) 64 0 Rwanda Gasogi United v.  Indonesia; 28 March 2023

MF Shassiri Nahimana (1993-08-05) 5 August 1993 (age 30) 41 2 Kenya Bandari v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023
MF Saidi Ntibazonkiza (1987-05-01) 1 May 1987 (age 36) 31 13 Tanzania Simba v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023
MF Jospin Nshimirimana (2001-12-12) 12 December 2001 (age 22) 14 8 Turkey Yeni Malatyaspor v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023
MF Omar Mussa (2000-08-20) 20 August 2000 (age 23) 3 0 England Dagenham & Redbridge v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023
MF Jordi Liongola (2000-05-17) 17 May 2000 (age 23) 5 0 Belgium La Louvière v.  Namibia; 20 June 2023
MF Trésor Mossi (2001-08-28) 28 August 2001 (age 22) 4 0 Luxembourg UN Käerjéng 97 v.  Namibia; 20 June 2023
MF Stève Nzigamasabo (1990-12-10) 10 December 1990 (age 33) 22 1 Tanzania KMC v.  Indonesia; 28 March 2023

FW Hussein Shabani (1990-06-26) 26 June 1990 (age 33) 27 2 Rwanda AS Kigali v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023
FW Mohamed Amissi (2000-08-03) 3 August 2000 (age 23) 19 0 Egypt Baladiyat El Mahalla v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023
FW Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana (1997-11-21) 21 November 1997 (age 26) 20 5 South Africa Kaizer Chiefs v.  Cameroon; 12 September 2023
FW Saido Berahino (Captain) (1993-08-04) 4 August 1993 (age 30) 18 2 Cyprus AEL Limassol v.  Namibia; 20 June 2023
FW Crispaldinho Chubaka (1996-12-10) 10 December 1996 (age 27) 0 0 Belgium RCS Verlaine v.  Namibia; 20 June 2023
FW Cédric Amissi (1990-03-20) 20 March 1990 (age 34) 56 10 Saudi Arabia Al-Qadsiah v.  Indonesia; 25 March 2023 PRE

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 19 November 2023[5]
Players in bold are still active with Burundi.
Most appearances
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Karim Nizigiyimana 64 0 2004–present
2 Cédric Amissi 56 10 2009–present
3 Fiston Abdul Razak 52 19 2009–present
4 Gaël Duhayindavyi 50 2 2011–2019
5 Hassan Hakizimana 46 1 2007–2014
Pierre Kwizera 46 3 2009–2019
7 Christophe Nduwarugira 45 6 2012–present
8 Frédéric Nsabiyumva 43 1 2013–present
9 Shassiri Nahimana 41 2 2013–present
10 Rashid Léon Harerimana 36 0 2013–present
Top goalscorers
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Fiston Abdul Razak 19 52 0.37 2009–present
2 Saidi Ntibazonkiza 13 31 0.42 2004–present
3 Selemani Ndikumana 12 33 0.36 2003–2019
4 Cédric Amissi 10 56 0.18 2009–present
5 Jospin Nshimirimana 8 14 0.57 2020–present
Papa Claude Nahimana 8 29 0.28 2007–2013
7 Amissi Tambwe 6 25 0.24 2011–2020
Christophe Nduwarugira 6 45 0.13 2012–present
9 Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana 5 20 0.25 2017–present
Laudit Mavugo 5 22 0.23 2011–2019

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
Uruguay 1930 to Chile 1962 Part of  Belgium Part of  Belgium
England 1966 and Mexico 1970 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
West Germany 1974 Did not enter Declined participation
Argentina 1978
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
United States 1994 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 2 4
France 1998 Withdrew during qualifying 2 2 0 0 2 0
South Korea Japan 2002 Withdrew Withdrew
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 4
South Africa 2010 6 2 0 4 5 9
Brazil 2014 2 0 1 1 2 3
Russia 2018 4 2 0 2 5 6
Qatar 2022 2 0 2 0 2 2
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 2 1 0 1 4 4
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/13 24 8 5 11 23 32

Africa Cup of Nations record

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Sudan 1957 to Ethiopia 1962 Part of  Belgium
Ghana 1963 to Cameroon 1972 Not affiliated to CAF
Egypt 1974 did not enter
Ethiopia 1976 did not qualify
Ghana 1978 did not enter
Nigeria 1980 Withdrew
Libya 1982 to Senegal 1992 did not enter
Tunisia 1994 did not qualify
South Africa 1996 did not enter
Burkina Faso 1998 withdrew
Ghana Nigeria 2000 to Gabon 2017 did not qualify
Egypt 2019 Group stage 22nd 3 0 0 3 0 4
Cameroon 2021 did not qualify
Ivory Coast 2023
Morocco 2025 to be determined
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027
Total Group stage 1/34 3 0 0 3 0 4

African Nations Championship record

African Nations Championship
Appearances: 1
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009 did not qualify
Sudan 2011
South Africa 2014 Group stage 10th 3 1 1 1 4 4
Rwanda 2016 did not qualify
Morocco 2018
Cameroon 2020
Algeria 2022
Total Group stage 1/7 3 1 1 1 4 4

CECAFA Cup

References

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b Barrie Courtney. "Burundi – List of International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
  3. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Final Squad". Twitter. Equipe Nationale de Football du Burundi.
  5. ^ "Burundi". National Football Teams.

External links

  • Burundi Football Federation (in French)
  • Burundi at CAF
  • Burundi at FIFA
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