Eritrea has returned to Africa Cup of Nations qualification spotlight after 19 years of absence. Red Sea Camels qualified for the Afcon main group stages by defeating Eswatini on an aggregate score of 4-1 in the Afcon preliminary round.
Eswatini: Strong performance against Eswatini
Eritrea’s intent was clear in both legs. The first match was played at home in Morocco, due to the absence of a stadium approved in Eritrea.
Eritrea won the second match 2-1 in Eswatini. A late goal scored by the hosts in stoppage-time had little impact on overall results. Sulieman was the star player in both games, with three goals.
The Rare Return of International Action
In recent years, they have only played a few games. Their last match was in September 2007 against Eswatini in an Afcon qualifying game.
Burundi (also a member of the African group), Ethiopia, Lesotho and South Sudan are also in this stage. In September, the next qualifying round will start.
The History of Withdrawals & Challenges
Eritrea has never been able to qualify for an Afcon since gaining its independence in 1993. The closest they came to qualifying was in 2008 when Angola finished as second place behind them.
These decisions are based on the fear that some players may not be able to return home once they have traveled abroad. The issue has become more grave after the incidents that occurred in Uganda in 2019. Players stayed back during an event for a regional tournament.
Recently, there have been limited matches and a recent comeback
Consistency has been a problem for the national team. Eritrea returned to the field in May of last year after playing two friendlies against Niger.
The team was also due to play Ethiopia in the African Nations Championship qualifying matches in November 2024, but again withdrew at the last minute.
A New Hope and New Leadership
Eritrea has taken on a different direction now that Hesham Yakan is the head coach. Hesham was a former Egypt player who competed in 1990 World Cup. He helped to rebuild the team by combining players from Egypt and the diaspora.
Eritrea is now confidently moving into the Afcon 2020 qualifying groups with this new strategy.
