The first international match of the Upper Voltaic selection was played on April 13, 1960 in the Jeux de la Communauté in Madagascar and ended with a 5-4 victory against Gabon. In the squad were 15 players from six different clubs. In the following years the team took part in tournaments of the Jeux de l'Amitié in Abidjan (1961) and Dakar (1963). Upper Volta failed to qualify for the 1965 All-Africa Games and in 1968 took part for the first time in the qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations, but lost to Algeria and Mali. In the early years of the rule of President Sangoulé Lamizana (in office from 1966 to 1980) football was rated as subordinate.