Eritrea to Break 18-Year AFCON Isolation Against Eswatini. Asmara, Eritrea — Eritrea is poised to break an 18-year-long isolation from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) when they face Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) in a qualifying match on Wednesday.
The match, scheduled to take place in Meknes, Morocco, marks Eritrea’s return to the premier African national team competition after a nine-year absence.
The preliminary round first leg, originally set to be held in East Africa, has been relocated to North Africa due to the lack of an international — standard venue in Eritrea. Eswatini will host the return match on March 31.
The aggregate winners will proceed to the group stage, which will be composed of 12 four-nation mini-leagues beginning in September.
The Red Sea Camels, as Eritrea is known, last participated in the AFCON in 2008, where they drew against Swaziland in a qualifier.
The country’s absence from the subsequent Cups of Nations is widely believed to be due to players seeking asylum abroad, with the United Nations estimating around 80 footballers and coaches have defected, citing political repression and mandatory military service as primary reasons. Eritrea, which has been governed by President Isaias Afwerki since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1993, has been consistently described by human rights groups as having a “highly repressive “regime.
Speaking ahead of the 2025 Cup of Nations, Eritrean National Football Federation President Paulos Andemariam announced the country’s return to the tournament. “
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.
The Eritrean squad, which includes 10 locals and players from Australia, Egypt, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, and Sweden, will be led by new coach Hesham Yakan, a former defender with Cairo club Zamalek and a member of the Egypt squad at the 1990 World Cup.
Eswatini, ranked 46th in Africa and 159th in the world, will be facing Eritrea for the third time, with the previous two encounters ending goalless in 2008 AFCON qualifiers.
The Southern African kingdom, which has not qualified for the Cup of Nations tournament in its previous 16 attempts, will be coached by Sifiso Ntibane, who succeeded Croatian Zdravko Logarusic after the team’s last-place finish in a 2026 World Cup qualifying group. Further details regarding the match and the ongoing qualifying process are expected to emerge in the coming days.
