Rwanda national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Rwanda

Nickname(s)	Amavubi (The Wasps)
Association	Rwanda Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	CECAFA (East Africa)
Head coach	Torsten Spittler
Captain	Haruna Niyonzima
Most caps	Haruna Niyonzima (110)
Top scorer	Olivier Karekezi (24)
Home stadium	Stade Amahoro, Nyamirambo Regional Stadium
FIFA code	RWA
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	135 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest	64 (March 2015)
Lowest	178 (July 1999)
Elo ranking
Current	144 8 (3 March 2019)
Highest	95 (October 2008)
Lowest	150 (July 1996)
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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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).

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

2023 AFCON qualification 29 March	Rwanda	0–3 (awarded)	Benin	Kigali, Rwanda
15:00 UTC+2	Manzi  71'	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/03/29/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/rwanda/benin/3783101/	Dossou  57'	Stadium: Kigali Pelé Stadium Referee: Abdulkadir Artan (Somalia)

2023 AFCON qualification 18 June	Rwanda	0–2	Mozambique	Butare, Rwanda
15:00 UTC+2		https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/06/00/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/rwanda/mozambique/3783103/	Catamo  43' Clésio  90+4'	Stadium: Stade Huye Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)

2023 AFCON qualification 9 September	Senegal	1–1	Rwanda	Butare, Rwanda
21:00 UTC+2	Ma. Camara  66'	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/09/09/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/senegal/rwanda/3783105/	Niyonzima  90+6'	Stadium: Stade Huye Referee: Haythem Guirat (Tunisia)

2026 World Cup qualification 15 November	Rwanda	0–0	Zimbabwe	Butare, Rwanda
15:00 UTC+2		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400017591		Stadium: Stade Huye Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Mohamed Ali Moussa (Niger)

2026 World Cup qualification 21 November	Rwanda	2–0	South Africa	Butare, Rwanda
15:00 UTC+2	Nshuti  12' Mugisha  28'	https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400017590		Stadium: Stade Huye Referee: Amin Omar (Egypt)

2024

Friendly 22 March	Botswana	0–0	Rwanda	Antananarivo, Madagascar
				Stadium: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium

Friendly 25 March	Madagascar	0–2	Rwanda	Antananarivo, Madagascar
16:00 UTC+3				Stadium: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Zimbabwe and South Africa on 15 and 21 November 2023.

Caps and goals correct as of 21 November 2023, after the match against  South Africa.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Fiacre Ntwari	(1999-09-25) 25 September 1999 (age 24)	14	0	AS Kigali
	1GK	Gad Muhawenayo	(1995-11-30) 30 November 1995 (age 28)	0	0	Musanze Butare
	1GK	Jimmy Djihad Nzeyurwanda		0	0	Kiyovu Sports
	2DF	Fitina Omborenga	(1996-05-20) 20 May 1996 (age 27)	63	1	APR
	2DF	Emmanuel Imanishimwe	(1995-02-02) 2 February 1995 (age 29)	42	0	AS FAR
	2DF	Thierry Manzi	(1996-07-12) 12 July 1996 (age 27)	42	4	AS Kigali
	2DF	Abdul Rwatubyaye	(1996-10-23) 23 October 1996 (age 27)	33	3	Rayon Sports
	2DF	Ange Mutsinzi	(1997-11-15) 15 November 1997 (age 26)	20	0	Jerv
	2DF	Ali Serumogo	(1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 29)	13	0	Kiyovu Sports
	2DF	Jean Claude Niyomugabo	(1998-08-02) 2 August 1998 (age 25)	7	0	APR
	2DF	Clément Niyigena	(2001-02-17) 17 February 2001 (age 23)	5	0	APR
	2DF	Christian Ishimwe	(1999-02-01) 1 February 1999 (age 25)	4	0	AS Kigali
	2DF	Isaac Mitima	(1997-12-16) 16 December 1997 (age 26)	1	0	Rayon Sports
	3MF	Djihad Bizimana	(1996-12-12) 12 December 1996 (age 27)	54	1	Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
	3MF	Kevin Muhire	(1998-10-17) 17 October 1998 (age 25)	31	0	Rayon Sports
	3MF	Olivier Niyonzima	(1993-01-01) 1 January 1993 (age 31)	27	3	Kiyovu Sports
	3MF	Lague Byiringiro	(2000-10-25) 25 October 2000 (age 23)	12	1	Sandvikens IF
	3MF	Jean Bosco Ruboneka	(1999-01-01) 1 January 1999 (age 25)	9	0	APR
	3MF	Bonheur Mugisha	(2000-01-01) 1 January 2000 (age 24)	8	0	Al Ahli Tripoli
	3MF	Hakim Sahabo	(2005-06-16) 16 June 2005 (age 18)	7	0	Standard Liège
	3MF	Elie Tatou Iradukunda	(2006-10-01) 1 October 2006 (age 17)	0	0	Mukura Victory Sports
	3MF	Froduard Mugiraneza	(1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 27)	0	0	Kiyovu Sports
	4FW	Patrick Sibomana	(1996-10-15) 15 October 1996 (age 27)	19	2	Ferroviário da Beira
	4FW	Innocent Nshuti	(1998-01-31) 31 January 1998 (age 26)	13	3	One Knoxville
	4FW	York Rafael	(1999-03-17) 17 March 1999 (age 25)	10	0	Gefle
	4FW	Gilbert Mugisha	(1996-07-18) 18 July 1996 (age 27)	7	2	APR
	4FW	Yves Mugunga	(1997-05-01) 1 May 1997 (age 26)	6	1	Kiyovu Sports
	4FW	Bienvenu Mugenzi	(1993-11-08) 8 November 1993 (age 30)	5	0	Police
	4FW	Didier Mugisha	(1996-11-28) 28 November 1996 (age 27)	2	0	Police
	4FW	Arthur Gitego	(2002-01-01) 1 January 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Marines
	4FW	Alain Kwitonda	(1997-10-05) 5 October 1997 (age 26)	1	0	APR

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	Olivier Kwizera	(1995-07-30) 30 July 1995 (age 28)	20	0	Al-Kawkab	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
GK	Pierre Ishimwe	(2002-06-16) 16 June 2002 (age 21)	3	0	APR	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
DF	Aimable Nsabimana	(1997-06-06) 6 June 1997 (age 26)	8	0	Kiyovu Sports	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
DF	Elie Ganijuru	(1998-07-23) 23 July 1998 (age 25)	1	0	Rayon Sports	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
MF	Dominique Savio Nshuti	(1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 27)	39	3	Police	v.  Mozambique; 18 June 2023
MF	Steve Rubanguka	(1996-10-14) 14 October 1996 (age 27)	4	0	Al-Nojoom	v.  Mozambique; 18 June 2023
MF	Ally Niyonzima	(1996-02-11) 11 February 1996 (age 28)	22	0	Bumamuru	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
MF	Hadji Iraguha	(1998-07-18) 18 July 1998 (age 25)	1	0	Rayon Sports	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
MF	Simeon Iradukunda	(1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 (age 25)	0	0	Gorilla	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
FW	Muhadjiri Hakizimana	(1994-08-13) 13 August 1994 (age 29)	34	7	Police	v.  Senegal; 9 September 2023
FW	Meddie Kagere	(1986-10-10) 10 October 1986 (age 37)	59	15	Singida United	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
FW	Fred Muhozi	(1999-04-11) 11 April 1999 (age 25)	8	1	Espoir FC	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
FW	Glen Habimana	(2001-11-13) 13 November 2001 (age 22)	4	0	Victoria Rosport	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
FW	Yannick Bizimana	(1998-06-02) 2 June 1998 (age 25)	3	0	APR	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
FW	Moise Nyarugabo	(2002-06-03) 3 June 2002 (age 21)	0	0	AS Kigali	v.  Benin; 29 March 2023
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 suspension.

Player records

Players in bold are still active with Rwanda.

Most appearances

Top goalscorers

Competition records

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1978	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1982	Did not enter									Declined participation
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									2	1	1	0	2	0
2030										To be determined
2034
Total		0/11								46	9	11	26	43	63

Africa Cup of Nations 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 2023 Did not qualify 2025 To be determined 2027 Total Group stage 1/36 3 1 1 1 3 3

African Nations Championship 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 Did not qualify Total Quarter-finals 4/7 14 4 3 7 11 18

CECAFA Cup

Honours

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

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Ruanda para niños

• Rwanda national under-17 football team