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The Burundi national football team, (Kirundi: Ikipe y'igihugu y'Uburundi y'umupira w'amaguru), 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 in a major tournament, 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.
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| Nickname(s) | Intamba Les Hirondelles The Chayfs (The Swallows) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Ishirahamwe ry'umupira w'amaguru ry'Uburundi | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | CECAFA (East & Central Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Etienne Ndayiragije | ||
| Captain | Saido Berahino | ||
| Most caps | Karim Nizigiyimana (66) | ||
| Top scorer | Fiston Abdul Razak (19) | ||
| Home stadium | Intwari Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | BDI | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 139 (19 December 2024)[1] | ||
| Highest | 96 (August 1993) | ||
| Lowest | 160 (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 | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2019) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (2019) | ||
| African Nations Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2014) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (2014) | ||
| CECAFA Cup | |||
| Appearances | 14 (first in 1999) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (2004) | ||
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.
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.
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) .
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).
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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.
Traditionally, the Burundi team wears the three colours of its flag: red, green and white.
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).
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.
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.
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
| 9 January Friendly | Burundi  | 0–4 |  Algeria | Lomé, Togo |
| 15:00 UTC±0 | Report | Stadium: Stade de Kégué Attendance: 0 Referee: Aklesso Gnama (Togo) |
| 22 March Friendly | Madagascar  | 1–0 | Burundi | Antananarivo, Madagascar |
| 13:00 UTC+3 |
|
Report | Stadium: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium |
| 25 March Friendly | Burundi | 0–0 |  Botswana | Antananarivo, Madagascar |
| 13:00 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium |
| 7 June 2026 World Cup qualification | Kenya  | 1–1 | Burundi | Lilongwe, Malawi |
| 15:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Bingu National Stadium Referee: Jean Ouattara (Burkina Faso) |
| 11 June 2026 World Cup qualification | Seychelles  | 1–3 | Burundi | Berkane, Morocco |
| 20:00 UTC+1 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Berkane Municipal Stadium Referee: Mohamed Ali Moussa (Niger) |
| 5 September 2025 AFCON qualification | Malawi  | 2-3 | Burundi | Lilongwe, Malawi |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium: Bingu National Stadium Referee: Ibrahim Kalilou Traoré (Ivory Coast) |
| 9 September 2025 AFCON qualification | Burundi | 0–1 |  Senegal | Lilongwe, Malawi |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium: Bingu National Stadium Referee: Mohamed Maarouf Eid Mansour (Egypt) |
| 10 October 2025 AFCON qualification | Burkina Faso  | 4–1 | Burundi | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| 19:00 UTC±0 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Alassane Ouattara Stadium Referee: Abdulrazg Ahmed (Libya) |
| 13 October 2025 AFCON qualification | Burundi | 0–2 | Burkina Faso | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| 16:00 UTC±0 | Report | Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Referee: Mohamed Athoumani (Comoros) |
| 14 November 2025 AFCON qualification | Burundi | 0–0 | Malawi | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| 14:00 UTC±0 | Report | Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Attendance: 313 Referee: Abdoulaye Manet (Guinea) |
| 18 November 2025 AFCON qualification | Senegal | 2-0 | Burundi | Dakar, Senegal |
| 14:00 UTC±0 |
|
Report | Stadium: Diamniadio Olympic Stadium Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria) |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Etienne Ndayiragije |
| Assistant Coach | Philippe Habimana |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Abdoul Ndizeye |
| Match Analyst | Auguste Nduwimana |
| Fitness Coach | Antoine Nshimiyimana |
| Doctors | Dr. Gauthier Ndayambaje Dr. Laurent Ngabonziza |
| Physiotherapists | Baudouin Niyomukiza Gervayi Ngendahayo André Ndayishimiye Flavien Niyigena |
| Team Coordinator | Selemani Ndikumana |
| Technical Director | Olivier Niyungeko |
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–)The following 23 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Kenya and Seychelles on 7 and 11 June 2024.[3]
Caps and goals are correct as of 25 March 2024, after the match against Botswana.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Jonathan Nahimana | 12 December 1999 | 34 | 0 |  Namungo | |
| GK | Aladin Bizimana | 1 April 2000 | 1 | 0 |  KVK Tienen | |
| GK | Mattéo Nkurunziza | 2 June 2004 | 1 | 0 | R.W.D. Molenbeek | |
| DF | Frédéric Nsabiyumva | 26 April 1995 | 43 | 1 |  Västerås | |
| DF | Ismail Nshimirimana | 1 January 2000 | 10 | 0 |  Kiyovu Sports | |
| DF | Keita Bukuru | 5 April 2005 | 3 | 0 | Aigle Noir Makamba | |
| DF | Lucien Delaigle | 31 March 2004 | 2 | 0 | R.W.D. Molenbeek | |
| DF | Aime Vaillance Nihorimbere | 11 January 2000 | 2 | 0 |  FK Gjøvik-Lyn | |
| DF | Claus Niyukuri | 13 February 2000 | 2 | 0 | FK Haugesund | |
| MF | Saidi Ntibazonkiza | 1 May 1987 | 31 | 13 | Simba | |
| MF | Gaël Bigirimana | 22 October 1993 | 23 | 0 | Young Africans | |
| DF | Youssouf Ndayishimiye | 27 October 1998 | 21 | 1 |  Nice | |
| MF | Abedi Bigirimana | 1 January 2002 | 14 | 4 | Kiyovu Sports | |
| MF | Akbar Muderi | 28 April 2003 | 4 | 1 | Gasogi United | |
| MF | Irakoze Donasiyano | 3 February 1998 | 3 | 0 |  Oakland Roots | |
| MF | Elie Mokono | 23 February 1994 | 3 | 0 | Bumamuru | |
| MF | Jamir Naudts | 13 May 2001 | 3 | 0 |  Feyenoord | |
| DF | Henry Msanga | 24 August 2001 | 1 | 0 | Flambeau du Centre | |
| FW | Hussein Shabani | 26 June 1990 | 29 | 2 | AS Kigali | |
| FW | Mohamed Amissi | 3 August 2000 | 21 | 0 | Baladiyat El Mahalla | |
| FW | Bienvenue Kanakimana | 28 December 1999 | 13 | 0 |  Jablonec | |
| FW | Sudi Abdallah | 5 January 2000 | 10 | 3 |  PSIS Semarang | |
| MF | Elvis Kamsoba | 27 June 1996 | 6 | 0 | PSS Sleman | |
| FW | Richard Kirongozi Bazombwa | 13 June 2000 | 6 | 0 | Bumamuru | |
| FW | Jordi Liongola | 17 May 2000 | 5 | 0 | La Louvière | |
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 | 9 April 1999 | 14 | 0 | Le Messager Ngozi |
v. Botswana; 25 March 2024 |
| GK | Justin Ndikumana | 1 March 1993 | 4 | 0 | Coastal Union |
v. Algeria; 9 January 2024 |
| DF | Derrick Mukombozi | 26 April 1999 | 7 | 0 |  Nkana |
v. Botswana; 25 March 2024 |
| DF | Eric Ndizeye | 22 August 1999 | 2 | 0 | Kiyovu Sports |
v. Algeria; 9 January 2024 |
| DF | Samuel Ndizeye | 0 | 0 | Police |
v. Algeria; 9 January 2024 | |
| DF | Christophe Nduwarugira | 22 June 1994 | 46 | 6 | Borneo Samarinda |
v.  Gabon; 19 November 2023 |
| DF | Marco Weymans | 9 July 1997 | 10 | 0 | Beerschot |
v. Gabon; 19 November 2023 |
| MF | Shassiri Nahimana | 5 August 1993 | 43 | 2 | Bandari |
v. Botswana; 25 March 2024 |
| MF | Aaron Musore | 28 December 1999 | 5 | 0 | Green Eagles |
v. Algeria; 9 January 2024 |
| MF | Emmanuel Mvuyekure | 10 June 1993 | 5 | 0 | KMC |
v. Algeria; 9 January 2024 |
| MF | Yannick Nkurunziza | 20 June 2002 | 5 | 0 |  KF Gostivari |
v. Algeria; 9 January 2024 |
| MF | Abdoul Karim Mpawenimana | 22 October 2002 | 1 | 0 | Rukinzo |
v. Algeria; 9 January 2024 |
| MF | Abdourahmani Rukundo | 7 May 1999 | 0 | 0 | Amagaju |
v. Algeria; 9 January 2024 |
| MF | Jospin Nshimirimana | 12 December 2001 | 14 | 8 |  Yeni Malatyaspor |
v. Gabon; 19 November 2023 |
| MF | Omar Mussa | 20 August 2000 | 3 | 0 |  Dagenham & Redbridge |
v. Gabon; 19 November 2023 |
| FW | Pacifique Niyongabire | 15 March 2000 | 8 | 1 |  Valour FC |
v. Botswana; 25 March 2024 |
| FW | Jean-Claude Girumugisha | 18 September 2004 | 4 | 0 | Magara Young Boys |
v. Botswana; 25 March 2024 |
| FW | Abdul Razak Fiston | 5 September 1991 | 53 | 19 | Sofapaka |
v. Algeria; 9 January 2024 |
| FW | Alfred Nkurunziza | 1 January 2004 | 0 | 0 | Bumamuru |
v. Algeria; 9 January 2024 |
| FW | Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana | 21 November 1997 | 20 | 5 |  Kaizer Chiefs |
v.  Cameroon; 12 September 2023 |
DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up. | ||||||
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karim Nizigiyimana | 66 | 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 |
| 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 | |
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | |
| 1930 to 1962 | Part of Belgium |
Part of Belgium | |||||||||||||
| 1966 and 1970 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
| 1974 to 1990 | Did not enter | Declined participation | |||||||||||||
| 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 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | ||||||||
   2030 |
To be determined | ||||||||||||||
 2034 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/13 | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 27 | 34 | ||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||
| 2025 | ||||||||
 2027 |
To be determined | |||||||
 2029 | ||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 1/34 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
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