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Burkina Faso national football team facts for kids

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This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Burkina Faso women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Burkina Faso
Nickname(s) Les Étalons
(The Stallions)
Les faucons pèlerins
(The Peregrine Falcons)
Association Burkinabé Football Federation
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach Brama Traoré
Captain Bertrand Traoré
Most caps Charles Kaboré (102)
Top scorer Moumouni Dagano (34)
Home stadium Stade du 4-Août
FIFA code BFA
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 62 Decrease 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 35 (April–May 2017)
Lowest 127 (December 1993)
Elo ranking
Current 75 Decrease 13 (3 March 2019)
Highest 52 (September 2017)
Lowest 133 (February 1987)
First international
 Upper Volta 5–4 Gabon 
(Tananarive, Madagascar; 14 April 1960)
Biggest win
 Upper Volta 5–1 Liberia 
(Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 27 December 1961)
 Burkina Faso 4–0 Mozambique 
(Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 7 June 2003)
 Burkina Faso 4–0 Namibia 
(Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 26 March 2011)
 Burkina Faso 4–0 Ethiopia 
(Nelspruit, South Africa; 25 January 2013)
 Burkina Faso 4–0 Niger 
(Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 23 March 2013)
 Burkina Faso 5–1 Swaziland 
(Nelspruit, South Africa; 10 January 2015)
 Burkina Faso 4–0 Cape Verde 
(Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 14 November 2017)
 Djibouti 0–4 Burkina Faso 
(Marrakesh, Morocco; 8 October 2021)
Biggest defeat
 Algeria 7–0 Upper Volta 
(Oran, Algeria; 30 August 1981)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances 14 (first in 1978)
Best result Runners-up (2013)
Mapinduzi Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2025)
Best result Runners-up (2025)

The Burkina Faso national football team (also known as Équipe de football du Burkina Faso) represents the country of Burkina Faso in men's international football games. The team is managed by the Burkinabé Football Federation.

Before 1984, the team was called the Upper Volta national football team. This was because the country was known as Upper Volta until it changed its name to Burkina Faso. The team hosted the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations and finished fourth. Their best result in this tournament was reaching the final in 2013.

Team History and Achievements

The team played its very first international match on April 13, 1960. It was part of the Jeux de la Communauté in Madagascar. They won that game 5–4 against Gabon.

Africa Cup of Nations Journey

Burkina Faso first played in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1978. They did not return to the tournament until 1996. After that, they qualified for five tournaments in a row, from 1996 to 2004.

In 1998, when Burkina Faso hosted the tournament, they reached the semi-finals. This was a big achievement for the team. In the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, they were in a group with Ghana and Ivory Coast. They drew their first match but lost to Ghana, so they did not move past the group stage.

In the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, they lost all three of their matches. However, they bounced back strongly in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. They finished first in their group but lost to Nigeria in the final, becoming runners-up. The team also earned third place in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. In the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, they again reached the semi-finals, finishing fourth.

World Cup Qualification Efforts

Burkina Faso first tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 1978. They won against Mauritania but then lost to Ivory Coast. They also tried to qualify in 1990 but lost in the first round.

They withdrew from the 1994 competition. In 1998, they made it to the final group stage but did not earn any points. They also reached the group stage in 2002 but did not advance.

The team had a strong performance in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. They reached the final round and played against Algeria. They won 3–2 at home but lost 1–0 away. Even though the total score was 3-3, Burkina Faso missed out on the World Cup because of the away goals rule.

Team Nickname: The Stallions

The team's nickname is Les Etalons, which means "The Stallions". This name comes from the legendary horse of Princess Yennenga, a famous figure in Burkina Faso's history. When the team plays, their supporters often bring a percussion band. This band makes sounds that mimic galloping horses, adding to the excitement of the matches.

Recent Matches and Schedule

Here are some of the recent match results and upcoming games for the Burkina Faso national football team.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

Matches in 2024

  • March 22: Libya 2–1 Burkina Faso (Friendly) - Loss
  • March 26: Niger 1–1 Burkina Faso (Friendly) - Draw
  • June 6: Egypt 2–1 Burkina Faso (World Cup qualification) - Loss
  • June 10: Burkina Faso 2–2 Sierra Leone (World Cup qualification) - Draw
  • September 6: Senegal 1–1 Burkina Faso (AFCON qualification) - Draw
  • September 10: Burkina Faso 3–1 Malawi (AFCON qualification) - Win
  • October 10: Burkina Faso 4–1 Burundi (AFCON qualification) - Win
  • October 13: Burundi 0–2 Burkina Faso (AFCON qualification) - Win
  • November 14: Burkina Faso 0–1 Senegal (AFCON qualification) - Loss
  • November 18: Malawi 3–0 Burkina Faso (AFCON qualification) - Loss

Matches in 2025

  • March 21: Burkina Faso 4–1 Djibouti (World Cup qualification) - Win
  • March 24: Guinea-Bissau 1–2 Burkina Faso (World Cup qualification) - Win
  • June 2: Tunisia vs. Burkina Faso (Friendly) - Result to be determined
  • September: Djibouti vs. Burkina Faso (World Cup qualification) - Fixture
  • September: Burkina Faso vs. Egypt (World Cup qualification) - Fixture
  • October: Sierra Leone vs. Burkina Faso (World Cup qualification) - Fixture
  • October: Burkina Faso vs. Ethiopia (World Cup qualification) - Fixture
  • December 24: Burkina Faso vs. Equatorial Guinea (AFCON Group Stage) - Fixture
  • December 28: Algeria vs. Burkina Faso (AFCON Group Stage) - Fixture
  • December 31: Sudan vs. Burkina Faso (AFCON Group Stage) - Fixture

Team Staff and Players

Coaching Staff

The people who help train and manage the team are:

Position Name
Head coach Burkina Faso Brama Traoré
Assistant coaches Burkina Faso Alassane Ouédraogo
Burkina Faso Ibrahima Kaboré
Goalkeeping coach Burkina Faso Aurélien Yaméogo
Fitness coach Burkina Faso Ousmane Sawadogo
Match analyst Burkina Faso Ismaïla Boussouma
Doctor Burkina Faso Dr. Cheick Tiendrebéogo
Physiotherapists Burkina Faso Moussa Kiemdé
Burkina Faso Christophe Zongo
Burkina Faso Boubacarr Tapsoba
Burkina Faso Évariste Nikiéma
Team coordinator Burkina Faso Charles Kaboré
Technical director Burkina Faso Kamou Malo

Current Squad Players

These are the players who were recently called up for friendly matches in June 2025. Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of March 24, 2025, after the match against Guinea-Bissau.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Hervé Koffi (1996-10-16) 16 October 1996 (age 28) 62 0 France Lens
1GK Farid Ouédraogo (1996-12-26) 26 December 1996 (age 28) 10 0 Democratic Republic of the Congo Vita Club
1GK Kilian Nikiema (2003-06-22) 22 June 2003 (age 22) 7 0 Netherlands ADO Den Haag
1GK Ladji Brahima Sanou (2003-04-21) 21 April 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Burkina Faso SONABEL
2DF Issoufou Dayo (1991-08-06) 6 August 1991 (age 33) 82 9 Morocco Berkane
2DF Edmond Tapsoba (1999-02-02) 2 February 1999 (age 26) 51 1 Germany Bayer Leverkusen
2DF Issa Kaboré (2001-05-12) 12 May 2001 (age 24) 47 2 Germany Werder Bremen
2DF Saïdou Simporé (1992-08-31) 31 August 1992 (age 32) 22 1 Egypt National Bank of Egypt
2DF Adamo Nagalo (2002-09-22) 22 September 2002 (age 22) 16 0 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven
2DF Nasser Djiga (2002-11-15) 15 November 2002 (age 22) 10 1 Scotland Rangers
2DF Abdoul Ayinde (2005-07-17) 17 July 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Belgium Gent
2DF Ismaëlo Ganiou (2005-03-14) 14 March 2005 (age 20) 0 0 France Annecy
2DF Arsène Kouassi (2004-09-11) 11 September 2004 (age 20) 0 0 France Ajaccio
2DF Hassane Rachid Traoré 0 0 Burkina Faso USFA
3MF Cedric Badolo (1998-11-04) 4 November 1998 (age 26) 27 0 Slovakia Spartak Trnava
3MF Stephane Aziz Ki (1996-03-06) 6 March 1996 (age 29) 17 2 Morocco Wydad
3MF Josué Tiendrébéogo (2002-11-21) 21 November 2002 (age 22) 6 1 France Annecy
3MF Mohamed Zougrana (2001-10-29) 29 October 2001 (age 23) 2 1 Algeria MC Alger
3MF Raouf Memel Dao (2003-09-05) 5 September 2003 (age 21) 2 0 Burkina Faso SONABEL
3MF Abdoul Yoda (2000-12-20) 20 December 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Moldova Milsami Orhei
4FW Bertrand Traoré (1995-09-06) 6 September 1995 (age 29) 79 21 Netherlands Ajax
4FW Hassane Bandé (1998-10-30) 30 October 1998 (age 26) 36 3 Finland HJK
4FW Mohamed Konaté (1997-12-12) 12 December 1997 (age 27) 32 6 Saudi Arabia Al-Riyadh
4FW Ousseni Bouda (2000-04-28) 28 April 2000 (age 25) 10 2 United States San Jose Earthquakes
4FW Jack Diarra (2006-06-16) 16 June 2006 (age 19) 0 0 Burkina Faso Salitas
4FW Cyriaque Irié (2005-06-20) 20 June 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Germany Freiburg
4FW Pierre Landry Kabore (2001-07-05) 5 July 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Estonia Narva Trans

Team Records

Here are some of the top players in the team's history, based on how many games they played and how many goals they scored. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for Burkina Faso.

Most Games Played

Charles Kaboré 2019 Dynamo
Charles Kaboré has played the most games for Burkina Faso with 102.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Charles Kaboré 102 4 2006–2021
2 Steeve Yago 89 1 2013–present
3 Jonathan Pitroipa 84 19 2006–2019
4 Moumouni Dagano 83 34 1998–2013
Bakary Koné 83 0 2006–2019
Bertrand Traoré 83 22 2011–present
7 Issoufou Dayo 82 9 2012–present
8 Aristide Bancé 79 24 2003–2019
9 Saïdou Panandétiguiri 66 2 2002–2013
Alain Traoré 66 21 2006–2021

Top Goal Scorers

Moumouni Dagano 2011
Moumouni Dagano has scored the most goals for Burkina Faso with 34.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Moumouni Dagano 34 83 0.41 1998–2013
2 Aristide Bancé 24 79 0.3 2003–2019
3 Bertrand Traoré 22 83 0.27 2011–present
4 Alain Traoré 21 66 0.32 2006–2021
5 Jonathan Pitroipa 19 84 0.23 2006–2019
6 Lassina Traoré 14 30 0.47 2017–present
7 Mamadou Zongo 13 30 0.43 1996–2013
Préjuce Nakoulma 13 53 0.25 2012–2019
9 Dango Ouattara 10 30 0.33 2021–present
Amadou Touré 10 30 0.33 1998–2006
Oumar Barro 10 48 0.21 1996–2003

Competitive Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup Performance

Burkina Faso has not yet qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Here's how they have done in the qualification rounds:

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1958 Part of  France Part of  France
as  Upper Volta
Chile 1962 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
1966 to 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 4 1 2 1 4 4
Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
as  Burkina Faso
Mexico 1986 Did not enter Did not enter
Italy 1990 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 3
United States 1994 Withdrew Withdrew
France 1998 Did not qualify 8 1 1 6 9 17
South Korea Japan 2002 8 2 2 4 11 10
Germany 2006 10 4 1 5 14 13
South Africa 2010 12 9 1 2 24 16
Brazil 2014 8 5 0 3 10 7
Russia 2018 8 3 3 2 13 8
Qatar 2022 6 3 3 0 12 4
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 6 3 2 1 13 7
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/15 72 32 15 25 112 89

Africa Cup of Nations Performance

Burkina Faso has participated in the Africa Cup of Nations many times. Their best result was finishing as runners-up in 2013.

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Soulama
Kéba
Koné
Panandétiguiri
Rouamba
Kaboré
Traoré
Djakaridja
Bancé
Pitroïpa
Dagano (c)
Africa Cup of Nations record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Sudan 1957 Part of  France Part of  France
United Arab Republic 1959
Played as  Upper Volta Player as  Upper Volta
Ethiopia 1962 Not affiliated to CAF Not affiliated to CAF
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965 Did not enter Did not enter
Ethiopia 1968 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 2 10
Sudan 1970 Withdrew Withdrew
Cameroon 1972
Egypt 1974 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 9
Ethiopia 1976 Did not enter Did not enter
Ghana 1978 Group stage 8th 3 0 0 3 2 9 2 0 0 2 1 4
Nigeria 1980 Did not enter Did not enter
Libya 1982 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 8
Played as  Burkina Faso Played as  Burkina Faso
Ivory Coast 1984 Did not enter Did not enter
Egypt 1986
Morocco 1988
Algeria 1990 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 1 3
Senegal 1992 8 4 1 3 10 13
Tunisia 1994 Withdrew Withdrew
South Africa 1996 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 3 9 4 1 3 0 5 4
Burkina Faso 1998 Fourth place 4th 6 2 2 2 8 9 Qualified as hosts
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 4 8 4 2 2 0 8 5
Mali 2002 13th 3 0 1 2 2 4 8 4 3 1 7 3
Tunisia 2004 14th 3 0 1 2 1 6 6 4 2 0 12 2
Egypt 2006 Did not qualify 10 4 1 5 14 13
Ghana 2008 6 1 1 4 5 12
Angola 2010 Group stage 13th 2 0 1 1 0 1 12 9 1 2 24 16
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 15th 3 0 0 3 2 6 4 3 1 0 12 3
South Africa 2013 Runners-up 2nd 6 2 3 1 7 3 2 1 0 1 2 3
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Group stage 16th 3 0 1 2 1 4 6 3 2 1 8 4
Gabon 2017 Third place 3rd 6 3 3 0 8 3 6 4 1 1 6 2
Egypt 2019 Did not qualify 6 3 1 2 8 5
Cameroon 2021 Fourth place 4th 7 2 3 2 9 10 6 3 3 0 6 2
Ivory Coast 2023 Round of 16 13th 4 1 1 2 4 6 6 3 2 1 8 5
Morocco 2025 Qualified 6 3 1 2 10 7
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined To be determined
Total Runners-up 14/35 52 10 17 25 51 78 112 53 26 33 151 133

African Nations Championship (CHAN)

This tournament is for players who play in their home country's league.

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 3
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009 Did not qualify
Sudan 2011
South Africa 2014 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 2 4
Rwanda 2016 Did not qualify
Morocco 2018 Group stage 11th 3 0 2 1 1 3
Cameroon 2020 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 3 2
Algeria 2022 Did not qualify
Kenya 2024 To be determined
Total Group stage 3/8 9 1 4 4 6 9

Team Honours and Awards

Continental Awards

Regional Awards

  • UEMOA Tournament
    • Champions (1): 2013
  • West African Nations Cup
    • Third place (1): 1982
  • Mapinduzi Cup
    • Runners-up (1): 2025

Summary of Awards

Senior Competitions 1 2 3 Total
CAF African Cup of Nations 0 1 1 2
Total 0 1 1 2

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Burkina Faso para niños

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