Soccer (FIFA)
fromwww.bbc.com
3 days agoEritrea advance after 19-year absence from Afcon qualifying
Eritrea qualifies for Africa Cup of Nations group stage after 19 years, defeating Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate.
Eritrea will end 18 years of isolation from the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday when they host Eswatini in the Moroccan city of Meknes in the first qualifier for the 2027 tournament.
The East Africans, who have only played two international games since February 2020, have been drawn against Eswatini. Eritrea withdrew from the same stage of qualifiers for the 2023 Afcon, and were excluded from the draw for the 2025 edition. The national team also pulled out of qualifying for the 2026 Fifa World Cup just a week before they were due to play their first game against the continent's top-ranked side Morocco.
"Isaias impresses me as remarkably similar in temperament and attitudes to Mengistu, exhibiting a stubborn, fundamentally authoritarian personality that has stifled Eritrea's potential for democracy and prosperity."