Rwanda national football team

Rwanda
Nickname(s)	Amavubi (The Wasps)
Association	Rwanda Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	CECAFA (East Africa)
Head coach	Vincent Mashami
Captain	Jacques Tuyisenge
Most caps	Haruna Niyonzima (107)
Top scorer	Olivier Karekezi (24)
Home stadium	Stade Amahoro, Nyamirambo Regional Stadium
FIFA code	RWA
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	135 (23 December 2021)
Highest	64 (March 2015)
Lowest	178 (July 1999)
First international
	Burundi 6–2 Rwanda ; (Libreville, Gabon; 29 June 1976)
Biggest win
	Rwanda 9–0 Djibouti ; (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; 13 December 2007)
Biggest defeat
	Cameroon 5–0 Rwanda ; (Libreville, Gabon; 7 July 1976) ; Zaire 6–1 Rwanda ; (Gabon; 12 July 1976) ; Tunisia 5–0 Rwanda ; (Tunis, Tunisia; 10 April 1983) ; Uganda 5–0 Rwanda ; (Kampala, Uganda; 1 August 1998)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	1 (first in 2004)
Best result	Group stage, 2004

The Rwanda national football team represents Rwanda in international football and is controlled by the Rwandese Association Football Federation, the governing body of football in Rwanda, and competes as a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), as well as the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), a CAF sub-confederation that governs football in East and Central Africa. The team bears the nickname Amavubi (Kinyarwanda for The Wasps), and primarily plays its home games at the Stade Amahoro in Kigali, the nation's capital. They have never qualified for a World Cup finals, and reached their only Africa Cup of Nations in 2004.

History[]

Rwanda qualified for its first Africa Cup of Nations in the 2004 edition.^[4] At the tournament, they lost their opening match 2–1 to Tunisia before winning their first ever point in the competition after a 1–1 draw against Guinea.^[5] Rwanda went on to beat DR Congo in their final group match by a 1–0 scoreline, but it wasn't enough, as elsewhere in the group, Guinea and Tunisia drew, meaning both teams progressed to the quarter-finals, and Rwanda were eliminated.^[6]

Team image[]

Kit[]

In 2001, after adopting the new flag of Rwanda, The Federation (FERWAFA) changed the color of the team kit. The new team kit consists of a yellow jersey, blue shorts and green socks for home matches, while their away kit is either all white or all blue. Adidas has generally been the manufacturer for the Rwandan team since 2001.^[7] However, between 2004 and 2009, Rwanda used L-sport as their outfitter, and in 2015 the side started wearing kit provided by AMS, an emerging Australian supplier.

Names[]

Under the official FIFA Trigramme the team's name is abbreviated as RWA; this acronym is used by FIFA, the CAF and the CECAFA to identify the team in official competitions.^[8] However the team was more commonly known as the RR, the acronym for the country's official name, Repubulika y'u Rwanda or République du Rwanda, which the local press used when they referred to the team as the RR XI. The national team is often referred to as Amavubi (The Wasps).^[9]^[10]

Recent results[]

2021[]

24 March 2021 (2021-03-24) 2021 AFCONQ	Rwanda	1–0	Mozambique	Kigali, Rwanda
15:00 UTC+2	Byiringiro 70'	Report		Stadium: Stade Régional Nyamirambo Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal)

30 March 2021 (2021-03-30) 2021 AFCONQ	Cameroon	0–0	Rwanda	Douala, Cameroon
20:00 UTC+1		Report		Stadium: Japoma Stadium Referee: Mohamed Ali Moussa (Niger)

4 June 2021 FIFA Friendly	Rwanda	2–0	Central African Republic	Kigali
16:00 UTC+2	40' J. Tuyisenge 69'	Report		Stadium: Stade Amahoro Referee: Anthony Ogwayo (Kenya)

7 June 2021 FIFA Friendly	Rwanda	5-0	Central African Republic	Kigali, Rwanda
	Hakizimana 4' 45' 68', 86' Nshuti 77'			Stadium: Amahoro Stadium

1 September 2021 2022 World Cup qualification

Mali

1–0

Rwanda

Mali

5 September 2021 2022 World Cup qualification

Rwanda

1–1

Kenya

Rwanda

7 October 2021 2022 World Cup qualification	Rwanda	0–1	Uganda	Kigali, Rwanda
18:00 UTC+2		Report	Bayo 41'	Stadium: Nyamirambo Regional Stadium Referee: Joshua Bondo (Botswana)

10 October 2021 2022 World Cup qualification	Uganda	1–0	Rwanda	Entebbe, Uganda
	Bayo 22'	Report		Stadium: St. Mary's Stadium-Kitende Referee: Haythem Guirat (Tunisia)

11 November 2021 2022 World Cup qualification	Rwanda	0–3	Mali	Kigali, Rwanda
		Report	Djenepo 19' Koné 21' K. Coulibaly 87'	Stadium: Nyamirambo Regional Stadium Referee: Hélder Martins de Carvalho (Angola)

15 November 2021 2022 World Cup qualification	Kenya	2–1	Rwanda	Nairobi, Kenya
16:00 UTC+3	Olunga 2' Odada 15' (pen.)	Report	Niyonzima 66'	Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium Referee: Celso Alvação (Mozambique)

2022[]

3 January Friendly	Rwanda	3–0	Guinea	Kigali, Rwanda
16:00 UTC+2	22' Usengimana 47' 72'	Report (FERWAFA)		Stadium: Amahoro Stadium Referee: Georges Gatogato (Burundi)

6 January Friendly	Rwanda	0–2	Guinea	Kigali, Rwanda
16:00 UTC+2		Report	Bayo 27' N. Keïta 35'	Stadium: Amahoro Stadium Referee: Georges Gatogato (Burundi)

Coaching history[]

Otto Pfister (1972–76)
Metin Türel (1991)
Longin Rudasingwa (1998-1999)
Rudi Gutendorf (1999–00)
Longin Rudasingwa interim
Ratomir Dujković (2001–04)
Roger Palmgren (2004–05)
Michael Nees (2006–07)
Josip Kuže (2007–08)
Raoul Shungu (2008, interim)
Branko Tucak (2008–09)
Eric Nshimiyimana (2009–10, interim)
Sellas Tetteh (2010–11)
Milutin Sredojević (2011–13)
Eric Nshimiyimana (2013–14)
Stephen Constantine (2014–2015)
Lee Johnson (2015, interim)
Johnny McKinstry (2015–16)
(2016, interim)
Jimmy Mulisa (2016, interim)
Antoine Hey (2017–2018)
Vincent Mashami (2018–present)

Players[]

Current squad[]

The following 26 players were called up for the international friendly matches against Uganda and South Korea on 18 and 21 January 2022 respectively.^[11]

All caps and goals are correct as of 6 January 2022 after the match against Guinea.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK		(1999-12-17) 17 December 1999 (age 22)	2	0	AS Kigali
18	1GK		(2002-02-05) 5 February 2002 (age 19)	1	0	Rayon Sports
23	1GK		(2002-06-16) 16 June 2002 (age 19)	1	0	APR

15	2DF		(1993-11-06) 6 November 1993 (age 28)	33	0	Police
3	2DF		(1992-11-03) 3 November 1992 (age 29)	18	1	Police
17	2DF		(1989-12-01) 1 December 1989 (age 32)	1	0	Kiyovu Sports
2	2DF		(1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 27)	3	0	Kiyovu Sports
12	2DF		(1995-03-10) 10 March 1995 (age 26)	0	0	Kiyovu Sports
13	2DF		(1998-08-02) 2 August 1998 (age 23)	2	0	APR
4	2DF		(1999-10-17) 17 October 1999 (age 22)	1	0	APR
5	2DF		(2001-02-17) 17 February 2001 (age 20)	1	0	Rayon Sports
	2DF			0	0

10	3MF	Muhadjiri Hakizimana	(1994-08-13) 13 August 1994 (age 27)	28	7	Police FC
11	3MF		(1998-10-17) 17 October 1998 (age 23)	21	0	Rayon Sports
	3MF	Djabel Manishimwe	(1998-05-10) 10 May 1998 (age 23)	15	0	APR
6	3MF		(1998-01-08) 8 January 1998 (age 24)	6	0	Rayon Sports
22	3MF		(1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 23)	4	0	APR
21	3MF			2	0	APR
8	3MF		(1995-08-12) 12 August 1995 (age 26)	2	0	Kiyovu Sports
7	3MF		(2002-12-11) 11 December 2002 (age 19)	1	0	Hillerød Fodbold

16	4FW	Ernest Sugira	(1991-03-27) 27 March 1991 (age 30)	36	12	AS Kigali
9	4FW	Danny Usengimana	(1996-03-10) 10 March 1996 (age 25)	15	1	APR
14	4FW	Lague Byiringiro	(2000-10-25) 25 October 2000 (age 21)	9	1	APR
19	4FW		(1997-05-01) 1 May 1997 (age 24)	4	1	APR
20	4FW		(1999-04-11) 11 April 1999 (age 22)	2	1	Espoir FC
	4FW			0	0	Kiyovu Sports

Recent call-ups[]

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK		(1989-05-13) 13 May 1989 (age 32)	8	0	Tusker	v. Kenya; 15 November 2021
GK	Clement Twizere Buhake	(1996-07-09) 9 July 1996 (age 25)	1	0	Strømmen	v. Kenya; 15 November 2021
GK	Jean-Luc Ndayishimiye	(1988-06-15) 15 June 1988 (age 33)	64	0	AS Kigali	2022 WCQ matches; November 2021 ^PRE
GK	Olivier Kwizera	(1995-07-30) 30 July 1995 (age 26)	17	0	Rayon Sports	v. Cameroon; 30 March 2021

DF	Salomon Nirisarike	(1993-11-23) 23 November 1993 (age 28)	31	0	FC Urartu	v. Kenya; 15 November 2021
DF	Thierry Manzi	(1996-07-12) 12 July 1996 (age 25)	30	3	Dila Gori	v. Kenya; 15 November 2021
DF	Denis Rukundo	(1996-12-12) 12 December 1996 (age 25)	4	0	Police FC	v. Kenya; 15 November 2021
DF	Emmanuel Imanishimwe ^SUS	(1995-02-02) 2 February 1995 (age 26)	31	0	FAR Rabat	v. Mali; 11 November 2021
DF	Fitina Omborenga	(1996-05-20) 20 May 1996 (age 25)	47	1	APR	v. Uganda; 10 October 2021
DF		(1990-03-17) 17 March 1990 (age 31)	15	0	Police	v. Uganda; 10 October 2021
DF	Ange Mutsinzi	(1997-11-15) 15 November 1997 (age 24)	8	0	Trofense	v. Uganda; 10 October 2021
DF	Emery Bayisenge	(1994-03-28) 28 March 1994 (age 27)	48	1	AS Kigali	v. Uganda; 7 October 2021^PRE
DF	Abdul Rwatubyaye	(1996-10-23) 23 October 1996 (age 25)	26	1	Shkupi	v. Kenya; 5 September 2021
DF		(1992-03-15) 15 March 1992 (age 29)	0	0	AS Kigali	v. Cameroon; 30 March 2021

MF	Olivier Niyonzima	(1993-01-01) 1 January 1993 (age 29)	21	1	APR	v. Kenya; 15 November 2021
MF	Bryan Ngwabije	(1998-05-30) 30 May 1998 (age 23)	3	0	SC Lyon	v. Kenya; 15 November 2021
MF		(2003-08-01) 1 August 2003 (age 18)	0	0	APR	v. Kenya; 15 November 2021
MF	Haruna Niyonzima	(1990-02-05) 5 February 1990 (age 31)	110	6	Young Africans	v. Mali; 11 November 2021
MF	Djihad Bizimana ^SUS	(1996-12-12) 12 December 1996 (age 25)	41	1	K.M.S.K. Deinze	v. Mali; 11 November 2021
MF	York Rafael	(1999-03-17) 17 March 1999 (age 22)	2	0	AFC Eskilstuna	v. Mali; 11 November 2021
MF		(1994-08-29) 29 August 1994 (age 27)	0	0	SD Lenense	2022 WCQ matches; November 2021 ^PRE
MF	Yannick Mukunzi	(1995-10-02) 2 October 1995 (age 26)	37	4	Sandviken	v. Uganda; 10 October 2021
FW		(1996-09-25) 25 September 1996 (age 25)	5	0		v. Uganda; 7 October 2021^PRE
MF		(1996-11-10) 10 November 1996 (age 25)	2	0	Police	v. Uganda; 7 October 2021^PRE
MF	Samuel Gueulette	(2000-05-19) 19 May 2000 (age 21)	0	0	Roeselare	v. Central African Republic; 4 June 2021
MF	Steve Rubanguka	(1996-10-14) 14 October 1996 (age 25)	0	0	Karaiskakis	v. Cameroon; 30 March 2021

FW	Dominique Savio Nshuti	(1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 25)	32	3	Police	v. Kenya; 15 November 2021
FW	Innocent Nshuti	(1998-01-31) 31 January 1998 (age 23)	7	2	APR	v. Kenya; 15 November 2021
FW		(1997-10-05) 5 October 1997 (age 24)	1	0		2022 WCQ matches; November 2021 ^PRE
FW		(1993-11-08) 8 November 1993 (age 28)	0	0	APR	2022 WCQ matches; November 2021 ^PRE
FW		(1996-07-20) 20 July 1996 (age 25)	0	0	Police	2022 WCQ matches; November 2021 ^PRE
FW	Jacques Tuyisenge	(1991-09-22) 22 September 1991 (age 30)	52	15	APR	v. Uganda; 10 October 2021
FW	Meddie Kagere	(1986-10-10) 10 October 1986 (age 35)	46	15	Simba	v. Uganda; 10 October 2021
^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. ^SUS Serving supension.

Player records[]

As of 30 March 2021^[12]

Players in bold are still active with Rwanda.

Most capped players[]

Rank	Name	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Haruna Niyonzima	107	6	2006–present
2	Jean-Baptiste Mugiraneza	89	6	2006–2018
3	Jean-Claude Iranzi	76	3	2008–2019
4	Olivier Karekezi	70	24	2000–2013
5	Jean-Luc Ndayishimiye	64	0	2007–2019
6	Jacques Tuyisenge	52	15	2011–present
7	Jean-Claude Ndoli	50	0	2005–2014
8	Fitina Omborenga	49	1	2013–present
9	Emery Bayisenge	48	1	2011–present
9	Meddie Kagere	48	15	2011–present

Top goalscorers[]

Rank	Name	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Olivier Karekezi	24	70	0.34	2000–2013
2	Meddie Kagere	15	48	0.31	2011–present
2	Jacques Tuyisenge	15	52	0.29	2011–present
4	Jean Lomami	14	25	0.56	2003–2009
5	Labama Bokota	13	33	0.39	2007–2012
6	Ernest Sugira	12	32	0.38	2015–present
7	Saïd Makasi	9	26	0.35	2003–2009
8	Jimmy Gatété	8	41	0.2	1996–2009
9	Daddy Birori	7	25	0.28	2009–2014
10	Jean-Baptiste Mugiraneza	6	89	0.07	2006–2018
10	Haruna Niyonzima	6	107	0.06	2006–present

Competition records[]

FIFA 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	Did not enter								Declined participation
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990	Withdrew								Withdrew
1994	Did not enter								Declined participation
1998	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	1	5
2002									2	0	1	1	2	4
2006									12	2	3	7	10	17
2010									10	3	2	5	8	11
2014									8	1	3	4	7	13
2018									2	0	0	2	1	4
2022									8	2	1	5	12	9
2026	To be determined								To be determined
Total		0/22							44	8	10	26	41	63

Africa Cup of Nations record[]

Africa Cup of Nations record
Appearances: 1
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957 to 1962	Part of Belgium
1963 to 1976	Not affiliated to CAF
1978 to 1980	Did not enter
1982 to 1984	Did not qualify
1986	Did not enter
1988	Withdrew
1990 to 1998	Did not enter
2000 to 2002	Did not qualify
2004	Group stage	9th	3	1	1	1	3	3
2006 to 2013	Did not qualify
2015	Disqualified
2017 to 2021	Did not qualify
2023	To be determined
2025	To be determined
Total	Group stage	1/33	3	1	1	1	3	3

African Nations Championship record[]

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 4
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not qualify
2011	Group stage	16th	3	0	0	3	2	7
2014	Did not qualify
2016	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	0	2	5	7
2018	Group stage	13th	3	1	1	1	1	1
2020	Quarter-finals	7th	4	1	2	1	3	3
2022	TBD
Total	Quarter-finals	4/6	14	5	3	7	11	18

CECAFA Cup record[]

CECAFA Cup record
Appearances: 21
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1973	Did not enter
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979	Group stage	6th	2	0	1	1	1	5
1980	Champions	1st	4	3	0	1	5	2
1981	Group stage	7th	3	0	2	1	2	4
1982		6th	2	0	0	2	0	3
1983		5th	4	2	1	1	4	3
1984	Did not enter
1985
1987
1988
1989
1990	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	1	1	5	3
1991	Fourth place	4th	4	0	1	3	3	9
1992	Did not enter
1994
1995
1996	Third place	3rd	4	1	2	1	6	6
1999	Quarter-finals	8th	3	0	2	1	1	4
2000	Did not enter
2001	Did not enter
2002	Group stage	6th	4	1	1	2	4	5
2003	Fourth place	4th	4	2	1	1	8	2
2004	Third place	3rd	5	3	1	1	11	6
2005	Group stage	6th	4	2	0	2	7	12
2006	Champions	1st	6	2	3	1	7	4
2007	Champions	1st	5	2	3	0	8	6
2008	Group stage	6th	4	1	2	1	3	2
2009	Did not enter
2010	Group stage	10th	3	0	1	2	0	5
2011	Third place	3rd	6	3	3	0	6	3
2012	Group stage	9th	3	1	0	2	1	3
2013	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	0	2	8	4
2015	Fourth place	4th	6	2	1	3	7	4
2017	Did not enter
2019
2021
Total	3 Titles	21/39	86	31	27	33	87	61

Honours[]

CECAFA Cup:
- Winners (1): 1999
- Runners-up (6): 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015.

References[]

^ "Rwanda national team: Vincent Mashami named as new coach of Amavubi". BBC Sport. 18 August 2018.
^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
^ "Rwanda's football mercenaries". BBC Sport. BBC. 28 January 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
^ "Rwanda snatch dramatic point". BBC Sport. BBC. 28 January 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
^ "Rwanda dumped out". BBC Sport. BBC. 31 January 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
^ "Rwanda football shirt 1994 – 1996". oldfootballshirts.com. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ "Member Association – Rwanda". FIFA.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on 6 July 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ "Rwanda football Boss Rallies The Wasps Ahead Of Benin Clash - Goal.com". goal.com. Goal. 29 September 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ "Rwanda's Amavumbi Stars invite Uganda Cranes on Feb 6th". starafrica.com. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ "Amavubi to play international friendlies against Guinea". www.ferwafa.rw. Rwanda Football Federation. 29 December 2021.
^ "Rwanda". National Football Teams.

External links[]

[1] "Rwanda national team: Vincent Mashami named as new coach of Amavubi". BBC Sport. 18 August 2018.

[FIFA_World_Rankings-2] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.

[World_Football_Elo_Ratings-3] Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.

[4] "Rwanda's football mercenaries". BBC Sport. BBC. 28 January 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2013.

[5] "Rwanda snatch dramatic point". BBC Sport. BBC. 28 January 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2013.

[6] "Rwanda dumped out". BBC Sport. BBC. 31 January 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2013.

[7] "Rwanda football shirt 1994 – 1996". oldfootballshirts.com. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[8] "Member Association – Rwanda". FIFA.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on 6 July 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[9] "Rwanda football Boss Rallies The Wasps Ahead Of Benin Clash - Goal.com". goal.com. Goal. 29 September 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[10] "Rwanda's Amavumbi Stars invite Uganda Cranes on Feb 6th". starafrica.com. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[11] "Amavubi to play international friendlies against Guinea". www.ferwafa.rw. Rwanda Football Federation. 29 December 2021.

[12] "Rwanda". National Football Teams.

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v t Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations
CAF FIFA
International Competitions	CECAFA Senior Championship CECAFA U-20 Championship CECAFA U-17 Championship CECAFA U-15 Championship CECAFA Women's Championship CECAFA Women's U-20 Championship CECAFA Women's U-17 Championship
Club Competitions	CECAFA Club Cup CECAFA Nile Basin Cup
Current members	Burundi Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Rwanda Somalia South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zanzibar
National Teams	Burundi Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Rwanda Somalia South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zanzibar

v t National football teams of Africa (CAF)
North Africa (UNAF)	Algeria Egypt Libya Morocco Tunisia Western Sahara
West Africa (WAFU)	Benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Togo
East Africa (CECAFA)	Burundi Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Rwanda Somalia South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zanzibar¹
Central Africa (UNIFFAC)	Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Congo DR Congo Equatorial Guinea Gabon São Tomé and Príncipe
Southern Africa (COSAFA)	Angola Botswana Comoros Eswatini Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Zambia Zimbabwe
Non-regional Members	Réunion¹
¹ Associate member of CAF but not member of FIFA