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 | ||
| |||
FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 133 (15 February 2024) [1] | ||
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.
Rwanda qualified for its first Africa Cup of Nations in the 2004 edition. [2] 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. [3] 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. [4]
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. [5] 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.
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. [6] 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). [7] [8]
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
29 March 2023 AFCON qualification | Rwanda | 0–3 (awarded) | Benin | Kigali, Rwanda |
15:00 UTC+2 |
| Report |
| Stadium: Kigali Pelé Stadium Referee: Abdulkadir Artan (Somalia) |
18 June 2023 AFCON qualification | Rwanda | 0–2 | Mozambique | Butare, Rwanda |
15:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium: Stade Huye Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria) |
9 September 2023 AFCON qualification | Senegal | 1–1 | Rwanda | Butare, Rwanda |
21:00 UTC+2 |
| Report |
| Stadium: Stade Huye Referee: Haythem Guirat (Tunisia) |
15 November 2026 World Cup qualification | Rwanda | 0–0 | Zimbabwe | Butare, Rwanda |
15:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium: Stade Huye Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Mohamed Ali Moussa (Niger) |
21 November 2026 World Cup qualification | Rwanda | 2–0 | South Africa | Butare, Rwanda |
15:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium: Stade Huye Referee: Amin Omar (Egypt) |
22 March Friendly | Botswana | 0–0 | Rwanda | Antananarivo, Madagascar |
Stadium: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium |
25 March Friendly | Madagascar | 0–2 | Rwanda | Antananarivo, Madagascar |
16:00 UTC+3 | Stadium: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium |
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. [9]
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 | 30 July 1995 | 20 | 0 | Al-Kawkab | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
GK | Pierre Ishimwe | 16 June 2002 | 3 | 0 | APR | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
DF | Aimable Nsabimana | 6 June 1997 | 8 | 0 | Kiyovu Sports | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
DF | Elie Ganijuru | 23 July 1998 | 1 | 0 | Rayon Sports | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
MF | Dominique Savio Nshuti | 1 January 1997 | 39 | 3 | Police | v. Mozambique ; 18 June 2023 |
MF | Steve Rubanguka | 14 October 1996 | 4 | 0 | Al-Nojoom | v. Mozambique ; 18 June 2023 |
MF | Ally Niyonzima | 11 February 1996 | 22 | 0 | Bumamuru | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
MF | Hadji Iraguha | 18 July 1998 | 1 | 0 | Rayon Sports | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
MF | Simeon Iradukunda | 28 November 1998 | 0 | 0 | Gorilla | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
FW | Muhadjiri Hakizimana | 13 August 1994 | 34 | 7 | Police | v. Senegal ; 9 September 2023 |
FW | Meddie Kagere | 10 October 1986 | 59 | 15 | Singida United | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
FW | Fred Muhozi | 11 April 1999 | 8 | 1 | Espoir FC | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
FW | Glen Habimana | 13 November 2001 | 4 | 0 | Victoria Rosport | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
FW | Yannick Bizimana | 2 June 1998 | 3 | 0 | APR | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
FW | Moise Nyarugabo | 3 June 2002 | 0 | 0 | AS Kigali | v. Benin ; 29 March 2023 |
|
Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Career |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Haruna Niyonzima | 112 | 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 | Fitina Omborenga | 63 | 1 | 2013–present |
7 | Meddie Kagere | 59 | 15 | 2011–present |
Jacques Tuyisenge | 59 | 16 | 2011–present | |
9 | Djihad Bizimana | 54 | 1 | 2015–present |
10 | Jean-Claude Ndoli | 50 | 0 | 2005–2014 |
Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Olivier Karekezi | 24 | 70 | 0.34 | 2000–2013 |
2 | Jacques Tuyisenge | 16 | 59 | 0.27 | 2011–present |
3 | Meddie Kagere | 15 | 59 | 0.25 | 2011–present |
4 | Jean Lomami | 14 | 25 | 0.56 | 2003–2009 |
5 | Labama Bokota | 13 | 33 | 0.39 | 2007–2012 |
6 | Ernest Sugira | 12 | 36 | 0.33 | 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 |
Muhadjiri Hakizimana | 7 | 34 | 0.21 | 2016–present | |
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
| African Nations Championship
|
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