Background The development of women's football in Africa faces several challenges, including limited access to education, poverty amongst women in the wider society, and fundamental inequality present in that society that occasionally allows for female-specific human rights abuses. At the same time, if talented women footballers do emerge, many choose to go abroad to maximize playing opportunities. A lack of funding impedes regional development of women's football as most of the funding for the women's national team comes from
FIFA, not the national football association. By 2008, this included a schools and university competition.
Grace Nyinawumuntu became the first female referee at the senior level in Rwanda in 2004, and went on to become the first woman to coach a professional team in the country in 2009. Her professional women's side went on to win the league championship under her leadership. The lack of high-level football opportunities in Uganda led to some players going from there to Rwanda for opportunities to play in the country's professional league. Internationally, in 2007, a representative from the country attended a FIFA sponsored women's football symposium in China.
Felicite Rwemarika is the head of women's football in the country.
Canceled 2007 participation The inaugural
Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Women's Challenge Cup was supposed to be held in Zanzibar in October 2007, an event Rwanda was planning to send a national team to compete in, but the competition was ultimately canceled. The competition was to be funded by
Confederation of African Football. The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations secretary, Nicholas Musonye said of the event, "CAF wants to develop women football in this region in recognition of the milestones CECAFA has achieved over the years. CAF appreciates what CECAFA has done despite the hardships the association has gone through, from financial problems to political instability in member states and poor management of associations. Member states in the CECAFA region have not taken women's football seriously. CAF now wants to sponsor a long-term campaign to attract women from this region into the game."
Home stadium The Rwanda women's national football team plays their home matches on the
Nyamirambo Regional Stadium.
Senior national team While the
Rwanda women's national under-20 football team existed and played in matches by 2009 for the
2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup African qualifiers, the senior national team was not competing in matches during the 2010s. or the 2011 All Africa Games. In March 2012, the team was not ranked in the world by FIFA and a senior national team still did not exist. However, a senior national team played its first official match on 16 February 2014. She-Amavubi debuted on 16 January 2014, in the
2014 African Women's Championship first qualification round, against
Kenya in the
Stade Régional Nyamirambo in
Kigali. They won 1–0 from a goal scored by Alice Niyoyita at the 29th minute in the first leg. In the second leg in
Kenyatta Stadium,
Machakos,
Kenya they lost 2–1 with the solitary goal scored by Jeanne Nyirahatashima. Rwanda qualified for the second round by the away goals rule after finishing 2–2 on aggregate and played against
Nigeria. Their third official match was disputed on 13 May 2014 against
Zambia and ended in a 3–0 loss, making it the third loss of their record. They disputed the
2014 African Women's Championship second qualification round with
Nigeria on 24 May 2014, losing 4–1. The goal was scored by Clementine Mukamana at the 53rd minute. In the second leg, again competing against
Nigeria on 7 June 2014, the She-Amavubi lost by a crushing 8–0 defeat, leaving them out of the
2014 African Women's Championship by a 12–1 aggregate score. Gloria Nibagwire became the first captain of She-Amavubi. Rwanda competed at the
2016 CECAFA Women's Championship, losing both games by a 3–2 scoreline, to Tanzania and Ethiopia. The Rwandan federation hosted the
2018 CECAFA Women's Championship. The
Nyamirambo Regional Stadium held all 10 of the games in the
round robin tournament. Rwanda beat Tanzania (the eventual champions) 1–0 but finished last on 4 points from their 4 games. Rwanda's women national football – the 'She-Wasps' eliminated Kenya in the first round of the 2014 African Women's Championship (AWC). ==Results and fixtures==