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Nations Cup record: Eight previous appearances. Best Finish: 4th (1998).

Burkina Faso will be making their eighth appearance in the last 10 tournaments when they take to the field in South Africa.

But their overriding problem is an inability to make it out of their group. They have done so only once - when they were hosts in 1998.

The Stallions have fired blanks ever since, finishing bottom of the group on their five subsequent visits to the finals and have never won a game at the tournament away from home soil.

Burkina Faso have gone 17 matches without a victory at the tournament since 1998 - and many of their campaigns have ended in embarrassment.

The team failed to secure a single point at the 1978, 1996 and 2012 championships, after three consecutive losses in each.

It is a fate no other country has suffered in the 56 years of the Nations Cup and the team's latest coach, Belgian Paul Put, is taking none of his side's opponents lightly.

"My major concern remains the great unknowns - Ethiopia - as we already know a lot about Nigeria and Zambia," he said.

"We will do research and prepare the team properly to achieve our goal in this competition, which is to go as far as possible, and at least reach the knock-out stage."

The spine of the team is similar to that which fell to Angola, Ivory Coast and Sudan last year, with veteran striker Moumouni Dagano captaining the team.

Others used to the demands of Cup of Nations football include goalkeeper Daouda Diakate, defender Bakary Kone and midfielders Alain Traore, Charles Kabore and Jonathan Pitroipa.

France-based Traore was responsible for getting Burkina Faso to South Africa, scoring twice at home to Central African Republic, including the tie-clinching goal deep in stoppage time.