Eritrea to end 18-year AFCON isolation by playing Eswatini in qualifier

Eritrea vs Eswatini on Wednesday will serve as the first AFCON qualifier for the east African nation since 2008.Eritrea will end 18 years of isolation from the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday when they host Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, in the Moroccan city of Meknes in the first qualifier for the 2027 tournament.The preliminary round first leg at the 20,000-seat Stade d’Honneur has been moved from East to North Africa because Eritrea lacks an international-standard venue.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2Report: Zidane reaches verbal agreement to take over France coaching joblist 2 of 2Tiger Woods returns to competitive golf ahead of the Mastersend of listEswatini will stage the return match on March 31, and the aggregate winners will advance to the group stage, which will consist of 12 four-nation mini-leagues from September.Popularly known as the Red Sea Camels, the East African country have not played in the premier African national team competition since drawing a 2008 qualifier in Swaziland.Eritrean football officials have never explained their absence from nine subsequent Cups of Nations, but it is widely believed to be due to players seeking asylum when playing abroad.The United Nations estimates about 80 footballers and coaches have defected, citing political repression and lengthy military service as the main reasons.Eritrea has been governed by President Isaias Afwerki since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1993, and human rights groups consistently describe his rule as “highly repressive”.Speaking in Morocco before the 2025 Cup of Nations, Eritrean National Football Federation President Paulos Andemariam announced that the isolation would end.“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 said.