Eritrea Returns to AFCON After 18 Years Away
After 18 years away, Eritrea is finally stepping back onto Africa’s biggest football stage, set to “host” Eswatini in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier that will be played on neutral ground in Morocco.
After 18 years away, Eritrea is finally stepping back onto Africa’s biggest football stage, set to “host” Eswatini in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier that will be played on neutral ground in Morocco.
The preliminary round first leg is scheduled for the 20,000-seat Stade d’Honneur, shifted from East to North Africa because Eritrea does not have a stadium that meets international standards. The Red Sea Camels have not featured in the AFCON since a 2008 qualifier ended in a draw in Eswatini, the country formerly known as Swaziland.
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Eritrean football authorities have never publicly accounted for the team’s absence from the nine subsequent tournaments, though it is widely believed players’ bids for asylum while abroad played a role. Now led by new coach Hesham Yakan and built around a blend of home-based and diaspora talent, Eritrea faces a steep climb back, hampered by limited match practice after years of inactivity.