Sport|FootballEritrea to end 18-year AFCON isolation by playing Eswatini in qualifierEritrea vs Eswatini on Wednesday will serve as the first AFCON qualifier for the east African nation since 2008.
Eritrea will conclude an 18-year absence from the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday by hosting Eswatini in the Moroccan city of Meknes. This marks the first qualifier for the 2027 tournament.
Eritrea will conclude an 18-year absence from the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday by hosting Eswatini in the Moroccan city of Meknes. This marks the first qualifier for the 2027 tournament.
The preliminary round's first leg will take place at the 20,000-seat Stade d’Honneur, relocated from East to North Africa due to Eritrea's lack of international-standard venues.
Eswatini will host the return match on March 31. The aggregate winners will proceed to the group stage, which features 12 four-nation leagues starting in September.
Popularly known as the Red Sea Camels, Eritrea has not participated in the premier African national team competition since a 2008 qualifier in Swaziland. Eritrean football authorities have not publicly explained their absence from nine subsequent Cups of Nations.
The United Nations estimates that around 80 footballers and coaches have defected, citing political repression and extended military service as significant factors.
Eritrea has been governed by President Isaias Afwerki since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1993. Human rights organizations describe his rule as highly repressive.
Eritrea will conclude an 18-year absence from the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday by hosting Eswatini in the Moroccan city of Meknes.
In Morocco, before the 2025 Cup of Nations, Eritrean National Football Federation President Paulos Andemariam announced the country's return to competition. "After positive discussions with our government, we have registered to play in the 2027 AFCON," he stated.
Local head coach Ermias Tewelde has been replaced by Hesham Yakan, a former defender with Cairo club Zamalek and part of Egypt's squad at the 1990 World Cup.
The 24-man squad comprises 10 local players and Eritreans based in Australia, Egypt, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, and Sweden. Siem Eyob-Abraha, affiliated with English second-tier club Sheffield United, is expected to play against Eswatini, alongside Egypt-based striker Ali Sulieman.
Yakan praises Sulieman as a "quick, left-footed striker who consistently scores and creates goals in Egypt."
A lack of match practice could challenge Eritrea, whose last competitive international was a World Cup qualifier in Namibia seven years ago. This inactivity led to Eritrea's omission from FIFA's national team rankings. Eswatini ranks 46th in Africa and 159th globally.
Sifiso Ntibane has succeeded Croatian Zdravko Logarusic as Eswatini coach. He has selected 13 local players and seven from South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe for the upcoming match against Eritrea. Their previous encounters in the 2008 Cup of Nations qualifiers ended goalless.
Five other preliminary ties are scheduled, with Djibouti, Seychelles, Lesotho, and Sao Tome e Principe unable to host due to inadequate stadium facilities. Security concerns have led Somalia to relocate their match against Mauritius to Maputo, Mozambique.
Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will co-host the 2027 Cup of Nations, with dates yet to be announced.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.
