Eritrea's 2027 AFCON qualifying place in doubt after seven players vanish | OneFootball

Eritrea's place in 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying is in doubt despite the team having secured a group-stage berth in March.

According to L'Équipe, seven internationals went missing after the second leg on 31 March, raising questions over the country's continued participation.

The fixtures were Eritrea's first on the international stage in six years. They beat Eswatini 2-0 in Morocco, then won 2-1 in Lobamba, sealing a 4-1 aggregate and a spot in a group phase scheduled from September to November with 42 teams.

Eritrea, ruled by President Isaias Afwerki since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, had barred its teams from travelling abroad after under-20 players escaped to Uganda in 2019. Around 80 footballers are estimated to have defected while on national duty, fleeing the country's repressive regime.

The national side are coached by former Egypt international Hesham Yakan, appointed only two weeks before the first leg. Their involvement in the upcoming qualifiers is now in question, 19 years after their last appearance in the preliminary round.

Source: L'Équipe