Eritrea Progresses After Nearly Two Decades Away from Afcon Qualifying

Eritrea Secures Spot in Main Group Stage

Eritrea has successfully qualified for the main stage of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying rounds, marking their return after a 19-year hiatus. They triumphed over Eswatini with a remarkable aggregate score of 4-1 in the preliminary stage, paving their way for next year’s tournament in East Africa.

The standout performer was forward Ali Sulieman, who netted three goals in the two matches. Due to the lack of a suitable stadium for international matches, Eritrea hosted their home game in Morocco, where they achieved a 2-0 victory, thanks to goals from Sulieman and Siem Eyob-Abraha, who has played for Sheffield United and is a former Manchester United youth player. Their second leg concluded with a 2-1 win against Eswatini, with Eswatini only managing to score in the dying moments of the game.

Despite being ranked 184th globally by FIFA, with only four African teams below them, Eritrea has played only a few matches over the past six years and last contested an Afcon qualifier in September 2007 against Eswatini. Other nations that have progressed to the group stage include Burundi, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Somalia, and South Sudan. The group stages are set to initiate in September, with Afcon 2027 taking place in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—the first tournament ever to be co-hosted by three countries.

Eritrea’s Historical Absence from International Football

Since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has yet to qualify for the Afcon tournament. They came close in their 2008 campaign, finishing second in their group, a mere four points behind Angola, while outpacing Kenya and Eswatini.

In the years following that near miss, Eritrea has either not participated in the qualification process or has withdrawn without taking the field, leading to complications for the Confederation of African Football (Caf) during the draw process. After a friendly against Sudan in January 2020, the national team did not play again until facing Niger in a friendly last May.

They were poised to confront their rivals, Ethiopia, in qualifiers for the African Nations Championship in November 2024 but withdrew unexpectedly. One major concern for the Eritrean authorities is the potential defection of players, especially when competing overseas, a situation that unfolded during a regional tournament in Uganda in 2019.

Eritrea remains a one-party state with a heavily militarized society, dealing with ongoing domestic repression and strained relations with neighboring countries, including a two-year conflict with Ethiopia from 1998 to 2000. Recently, however, under the guidance of former Egyptian defender Hesham Yakan, a 1990 World Cup participant, Eritrea has re-entered the international scene, fielding a mix of players from home and the diaspora.

The date for the group stage draw remains to be announced by Caf.

Afcon 2027 Preliminary Qualifying Round Results (Aggregate Scores Over Two Legs)

• Djibouti 1 – 4 South Sudan
• Chad 0 – 8 Burundi
• Somalia 0 – 0 Mauritius (Somalia wins 4-2 on penalties)
• Seychelles 1 – 2 Lesotho
• Eritrea 4 – 1 Eswatini
• Sao Tome and Principe 0 – 4 Ethiopia

Related Topics

• Africa Sport
• Football

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