Ethiopia to play first internationals at home in five years

Ethiopia is set to host international football matches on home soil for the first time in five years after the Confederation of African Football (Caf) cleared Dire Dawa Stadium for competition on Monday.

Since 2021, the East African nation of 130 million has been forced to play its home games abroad after Caf deemed its three main stadiums—in Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, and Dire Dawa—unfit for international fixtures.

The newly refurbished Dire Dawa Stadium will now stage Ethiopia’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations preliminary round second-leg qualifier against São Tomé and Príncipe on 31 March, the Ethiopia Football Federation (EFF) confirmed.

“It’s good news for us. From now, Dire Dawa international stadium will be able to host matches of the national team,” the EFF said on its website.

“This modern stadium was built through cooperation between Dire Dawa city administration and the Ethiopian Football Federation, and it is prepared to serve national and international competitions.”

Former international Yohannes Sahle has been reappointed to prepare the national team for the qualifiers, with the first leg scheduled in São Tomé on 25 March. The winner over the two legs will advance to the group stage, with the finals set to take place next year across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Ethiopia, which previously hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in 1976, finished fifth in Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, collecting nine points from 10 matches.