Eritrea dey return AFCON after 18 years, go face Eswatini for qualifier

Eritrea national football team don finally return to Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after 18 years wey dem no dey participate. Di Red Sea Camels go face Eswatini for di preliminary round of AFCON 2027 qualifiers wey go hold for March. Di first leg go hold for Stade d’Honneur for Meknès, Morocco on March 25, while di return leg go hold for Somhlolo National Stadium for Lobamba, Eswatini on March 31.

CAF don release di full schedule for di preliminary round wey involve 12 lowest-ranked African countries. Eritrea, Eswatini, Lesotho, Seychelles, Djibouti, South Sudan, Somalia, Mauritius, Chad, Burundi, Sao Tome e Principe and Ethiopia na di teams wey go contest for six slots to join 42 oda teams for main qualifiers. Di winners of dese matches go qualify for di group stage of AFCON 2027 qualifiers.

Eritrea last played for AFCON qualifiers for 2008 edition, and dem draw 1-1 with Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) for dat time. Since den, di team no dey participate for any AFCON qualifiers, and football analysts believe say di reason na because players dey seek asylum when dem travel abroad for matches. Di Eritrean government never officially explain why di team withdraw from nine consecutive AFCON tournaments.

Di match against Eswatini go hold for Morocco because Eritrea no get international-standard stadium wey meet CAF requirements. Di Stade d’Honneur for Meknès fit contain 20,000 spectators. Eritrea coach Hesham Yakan don assemble squad wey include both local players and diaspora players wey dey play for clubs abroad.

For Eswatini side, dem dey prepare well for di match as dem see am as opportunity to qualify for AFCON after missing out for many years. Eswatini Football Association don arrange intensive training camp for di team ahead of di crucial qualifiers.

Meanwhile, CAF still dey face controversy over AFCON 2025 edition wey dem strip Senegal of di title after dem disrupt di final match against Morocco on January 18, 2025. CAF Disciplinary Board initially fine both Senegal and Morocco, but Morocco appeal make CAF award dem di title. Senegal don carry di matter to Court of Arbitration for Sports to reverse di ruling.

For oda sports news, Mohamed Salah don announce say im go leave Liverpool at di end of dis season. Di Egyptian star wey dey 33 years old go depart on free transfer despite having 12 months remaining for im contract. Salah don score 255 goals for Liverpool since im join dem for 2017 from AS Roma.

For political news, United Nations General Assembly dey prepare to vote on Ghana‘s resolution wey seek to declare slavery as crime against humanity. Di resolution championed by Ghana get support from many African Union countries including Eritrea and Eswatini. If di resolution pass, e go advance global conversation on reparatory justice for enslavement of Africans.

Back to football matters, di 2027 AFCON go hold for East Africa with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as joint hosts. However, Kenya dey face possible elimination as host if dem no pay $30 million hosting fee before March 30, 2026 deadline. Tanzania and Uganda don reportedly fulfill dis condition already.

Football fans across Africa dey watch di Eritrea vs Eswatini match with interest as e mark return of Eritrea to international football after long absence. Di match go show whether Eritrea still get quality players after many years of inactivity for international competitions.