Eritrea’s unlikely 2027 Africa Cup of Nations campaign gathers pace after Kenya draw

Nineteen years after their last appearance in the group stage of Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, Eritrea returned with an impressive 1-1 draw against Kenya in Nairobi.

The Red Sea Camels led from the 36th minute, when Nahom Girmai put them ahead, and were only denied victory by Kenya’s equaliser in the 87th minute. The result came against one of the three hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and has raised the possibility of an extraordinary qualification campaign.

The significance of Eritrea’s performance is best understood against the background of the country’s football. Independent since 1993, Eritrea has had one president, Isaias Afwerki, while the regime is frequently criticised for its authoritarianism, indefinite military service and severe restrictions on civil liberties.

The national team has been directly affected. International trips have repeatedly provided opportunities for players to leave the country. Ten Eritrean internationals failed to return after a match in Botswana in 2015, while seven more disappeared in Uganda after the CECAFA Cup in 2019. More than 60 players are believed to have sought asylum abroad since 2009.

The defections contributed to Eritrea’s near disappearance from international football. The team withdrew from 2026 World Cup qualifying amid fears of further departures.

Their return came in March, when they played Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for the first time since 2007 and beat Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate across the two legs.

The Eritrean Football Federation drew heavily on a diaspora spread around the world. Girmai and Tesfalidet Tekie play in Sweden’s top division, while other members of the squad are based in the Netherlands, Egypt, Australia and less prominent leagues.

Even that successful comeback was followed by another setback. After the victory, seven of the 10 players based in Eritrea failed to return to Asmara from South Africa. Only three locally based players were reported to have gone home, weakening a squad in which they had formed an important part of the structure.

Against Kenya, only captain Ablelom Teklezghim of Red Sea and striker Romel Abdu of Denden represented Eritrea’s domestic league. The rest of the side was an unusual collection of diaspora players, some competing in lower divisions in Europe or in leagues far from the international spotlight.

They nevertheless held firm at Nairobi’s Nyayo Stadium. Organised and disciplined, Eritrea defended in numbers and threatened on the counter-attack, exposing the weaknesses of a poor Kenya side and coming within three minutes of a historic win.

Goalkeeper Yonathan Sultan was central to that resistance. The 19-year-old, who plays in the third tier of the United Arab Emirates, was promoted to the starting line-up after Kibrom Salomon defected in March. He produced a heroic display to preserve Eritrea’s lead for as long as possible.

In the circumstances, one point carried almost the value of a victory.

The task ahead will be harder. Eritrea’s group also contains Guinea and South Africa, and, without a CAF-approved stadium in Asmara, the team must continue to play its home matches away from its supporters.

Their next challenge is South Africa in Egypt. Avoiding defeat would already represent a major achievement.

After 19 years away from the group stage of Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, six years without an official match, a squad rebuilt through the diaspora and another wave of defections, the Red Sea Camels remain in contention. For Eritrea, very little now appears impossible.