Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a land-locked country in west Africa that was known as Upper Volta from the days of its independence from France in 1960 until being renamed in 1984 (its name means "the land of persons of integrity"). Given its history and lack of the traditional vectors for baseball to make headway in the country, it was completely absent from the international baseball scene until, in a stunning development, the Burkina Faso national baseball team, formed only two years earlier, handily defeated both the much higher-ranked national teams of Ghana and Nigeria in the 2019 African Championship Qualifiers.

Baseball is governed in the country by the Burkinabe Baseball and Softball Association. The country's first overseas pro was Lassina Sanfo. Additionally, Hamidou Kafando and Hamidou Sanon were born here.