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Eritrea will return to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying after an 18-year absence when they face Eswatini on Wednesday in the first leg of a preliminary round tie for the 2027 tournament.
The match will be played in Meknes, Morocco, rather than Eritrea because the country does not currently have a stadium that meets international standards. The game will take place at the 20,000-seat Stade d’Honneur.
The return leg is scheduled for March 31 in Eswatini. The aggregate winner will advance to the group stage of qualifying, which begins in September and will feature 12 groups of four teams.
Known as the Red Sea Camels, Eritrea has not appeared in the Africa Cup of Nations competition since drawing a qualifier in 2008 against then-Swaziland. Football officials in the country have never formally explained why the team withdrew from the following nine editions of the qualifiers.
However, Eritrean football has long faced problems with players seeking asylum while traveling abroad for international matches. The United Nations estimates that about 80 players and coaches have defected over the years, complaining about political repression and mandatory long-term military service.
Eritrea has been led by President Isaias Afwerki since the country gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993. Human rights organisations have repeatedly described the government as highly repressive.
The Eritrean National Football Federation confirmed last year that the country would re-enter continental competition.
Speaking in Morocco ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, federation president Paulos Andemariam said Eritrea had registered for the 2027 qualifiers after discussions with the government and expected to field a stronger squad, including players based overseas.
“After positive discussions with our government, we have registered to play in the 2027 AFCON and I believe we will have a strong team, including many Eritreans playing outside Africa,” he said.
The team will now be coached by former Egypt international defender Hesham Yakan, who replaced local coach Ermias Tewelde. Yakan previously played for Egyptian club Zamalek and was part of Egypt’s squad at the 1990 World Cup.
Eritrea named a 24-man squad for the tie, including 10 domestic players and others based in Australia, Egypt, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines and Sweden.
Forward Siem Eyob-Abraha, currently with English second-tier club Sheffield United and formerly part of Manchester United’s youth system, is expected to start alongside Egypt-based striker Ali Sulieman.
Yakan described Sulieman as “a quick, left-footed striker who has been scoring regularly in Egypt and also creating goals.”
Eritrea enters the match with little recent international experience. Their last competitive fixture was a World Cup qualifying defeat to Namibia seven years ago. The lack of activity led FIFA to drop the country from the official world rankings.
Eswatini, ranked 46th in Africa and 159th globally, will be led by coach Sifiso Ntibane, who replaced the Croatian Zdravko Logarusic after the team finished last in its 2026 World Cup qualifying group with three points from 10 matches.
Ntibane selected a 20-man squad featuring 13 domestic players and seven based in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Wednesday’s match will be only the third meeting between Eritrea and Eswatini. Their previous encounters came in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and both ended in goalless draws.
Five other preliminary ties are also scheduled in the opening stage of qualification. Djibouti, Seychelles, Lesotho, and São Tomé and Príncipe will also play their “home” matches abroad because their stadiums do not meet international standards.
Somalia will host Mauritius in Maputo, Mozambique, after security concerns prevented the match from being staged in Somalia.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Dates for the tournament have not yet been announced.
