Eritrea Drawn Against Eswatini in 2027 Afcon Qualifiers
Eritrea has been included in the preliminary qualifying round draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), despite being unranked by FIFA.
The East African nation, which has participated in only two international matches since February 2020, will face Eswatini in the qualifiers.
Eritrea previously withdrew from the qualifying stage for the 2023 Afcon and was omitted from the draw for the 2025 edition.
Additionally, the national team pulled out of the qualifying process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup just a week before their scheduled match against Morocco, the continent's top-ranked team.
The draw for the 2027 preliminary round was conducted in Rabat, a day prior to the semi-finals of the 2025 tournament, where Morocco will compete against Nigeria and Senegal will face Egypt.
In other matchups, 1962 champions Ethiopia will take on Sao Tome e Principe, while Burundi has been paired with Chad.
The two-legged ties are set to take place in March, with the six winners advancing to join the 42 highest-ranked teams on the continent in the main group stage of the qualifiers.
The Confederation of African Football has yet to announce the dates for both the 2027 Afcon qualifiers and the tournament itself, which will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
2027 Afcon Preliminary Qualifying Round Matchups
Djibouti vs. South Sudan
Chad vs. Burundi
Somalia vs. Mauritius
Seychelles vs. Lesotho
Eritrea vs. Eswatini
Sao Tome e Principe vs. Ethiopia
Two-legged ties to be held from March 25 to March 31