Eritrea has been included in the preliminary draw for the qualifying rounds of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), despite lacking a ranking from FIFA.

The team from the East African nation, which has only engaged in two international matches since February 2020, is set to face Eswatini.

In the past, Eritrea withdrew from the qualifiers for the 2023 Afcon and was not included in the draw for the 2025 tournament.

Additionally, the national squad opted out of the qualifying rounds for the 2026 FIFA World Cup just a week prior to their scheduled match against Morocco, which is the top-ranked team in Africa.

The draw for the 2027 preliminary rounds took place in Rabat, coinciding with the semi-finals of the 2025 tournament, where Morocco will compete against Nigeria and Senegal will take on Egypt.

In other matchups, 1962 champions Ethiopia will play against Sao Tome e Principe, while Burundi faces Chad.

The two-legged matches are scheduled for March, and the six victorious teams will advance to join 42 of the continent’s top-ranked squads in the main qualifying round.

The Confederation of African Football has yet to announce the exact dates for the qualifiers and the tournament itself, which will be held in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Matches to be held over two legs between March 25-31.