Meknes, Morocco – Eswatini’s national team Sihlangu Semnikati is set to take on Eritrea on Wednesday in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations preliminary qualifier, marking a historic return for the East African side after nearly two decades away from the competition.
The match will be played in Meknes, Morocco, at the 20,000 seater Stade d’Honneur, as Eritrea does not have a venue that meets international standards. The return leg is scheduled for March 31 in Eswatini, where the winner over two legs will progress to the group stages set to begin in September.
Eritrea, also known as the Red Sea Camels, last featured in AFCON qualifiers in 2008 when they played to a draw against Eswatini, then known as Swaziland. Since then, the team has been absent from the continental competition, with no official explanation provided by football authorities. 
Reports over the years have linked their absence to incidents of players seeking asylum while on international duty. According to the United Nations, around 80 Eritrean footballers and coaches have defected, citing political repression and prolonged military service.
The country has been under the leadership of President Isaias Afwerki since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, with international human rights organisations frequently raising concerns about governance conditions.
Eritrean National Football Federation President Paulos Andemariam recently confirmed the country’s return to continental football. “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.
The team has undergone changes ahead of the qualifier, with Hesham Yakan, a former Egypt international and ex Zamalek defender, taking over as head coach from Ermias Tewelde.
Eritrea has named a 24 man squad made up of 10 locally based players and others drawn from leagues in Australia, Egypt, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines and Sweden. Among them is striker Siem Eyob Abraha, who plays for Sheffield United and previously featured in the Manchester United youth ranks.
Eyob Abraha is expected to lead the attack alongside Egypt based forward Ali Sulieman, who has impressed with his scoring form. Yakan said of Sulieman: “He is a quick, left-footed striker who has been scoring regularly in Egypt and also creating goals.”
However, Eritrea may face challenges due to limited match activity. Their last competitive international fixture was a World Cup qualifier loss to Namibia seven years ago. Their inactivity has also seen them excluded from FIFA’s world rankings.
For Eswatini, the fixture presents another opportunity to break a long standing barrier, having failed in all 16 previous attempts to qualify for AFCON. The team is currently ranked 46th in Africa and 159th globally.
Head coach Sifiso Ntibane, who recently took over from Croatian mentor Zdravko Logarusic, has selected a squad comprising 13 local players and seven based in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. His appointment follows Eswatini’s last place finish in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group, where they collected just three points from 10 matches.
Wednesday’s encounter will be only the third meeting between the two nations, with their previous clashes in the 2008 qualifiers ending in goalless draws.
Across the continent, several other preliminary ties are set to be played, with countries such as Djibouti, Seychelles, Lesotho and Sao Tome e Principe also hosting matches away from home due to inadequate facilities, while Somalia will play Mauritius in Maputo, Mozambique, citing security concerns.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations tournament will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with dates yet to be announced.
