Eritrea will compete in the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, ending a 19-year absence from the continent’s premier football competition, officials confirmed this week.
The Eritrean Football Federation has completed registration requirements and submitted guarantees to the Confederation of African Football, clearing the way for the national team to participate in the upcoming qualifying campaign.
Federation president Paulos Weldehaimanot Andemariam confirmed the development in comments published by CECAFA, the regional football body for East and Central Africa, while attending the current AFCON tournament in Morocco. No formal statement has yet been released in Eritrea.
Eritrea last took part in AFCON qualifiers during the 2008 cycle. Its most recent qualifying match was played in September 2007, when the team finished second in its group behind Angola and recorded wins over Kenya both at home and away.
In recent months, CAF has revised its regulations, increasing fines and suspensions for federations that fail to honor official fixtures. Eritrean football officials have acknowledged that these changes played a role in renewed coordination with government authorities to secure approval for participation.
Eritrea’s national team has had limited international activity over the past several years. The side exited the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in the first round against Namibia in 2019. Since then, it has played a small number of friendly matches, including one against Sudan in 2020 and two games against Niger A’ during independence anniversary events in May 2025.
Weldehaimanot indicated that the federation is considering calling up Eritrean players based outside Africa to strengthen the squad. However, no details have been released regarding player selection, training schedules or the appointment of a head coach.
The national team has largely relied on locally based players in recent appearances, with the domestic league operating intermittently. Officials have not announced when preparations for the AFCON qualifiers will begin.
CAF has not yet published the official draw or schedule for the 2027 qualifying matches.
