Eritrea national football team
Men's association football team
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The Eritrea national football team (Tigrinya: ሃገራዊት ጋንታ ኩዕሶ እግሪ ኤርትራ) represents Eritrea in men's international football and it is controlled by the Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF). It is nicknamed the Red Sea Camels. It has never qualified for the finals of the FIFA World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. Asmara side Red Sea FC are the main supplier for the national team and the team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).
(East & Central Africa)
| |||
| Nickname | (Tigrinya: ኣግማል ቀይሕ ባሕሪ) Red Sea Camels[1][2] | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF) | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | CECAFA (East & Central Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Hesham Yakan | ||
| Captain | Ablelom Teklezghi | ||
| Most caps | Yidnekachew Shimangus (23) | ||
| Top scorer | Yidnekachew Shimangus Ali Sulieman (6) | ||
| Home stadium | Cicero Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | ERI | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 184  (20 July 2026)[3] | ||
| Highest | 121[4] (August 2007) | ||
| Lowest | 207 (April–May 2018, September 2019) | ||
| First international | |||
Pre-independence Sudan 1–1 Eritrea  (Khartoum, Sudan; 26 June 1992) Post-independence  Seychelles 0–1 Eritrea  (Mumias, Kenya; 29 November 1994) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
 Djibouti 0–3 Eritrea  (Kampala, Uganda; 13 December 2019)  Kenya 1–4 Eritrea (Kampala, Uganda; 17 December 2019) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Ghana 5–0 Eritrea (Accra, Ghana; 28 February 1999)  Angola 6–1 Eritrea (Luanda, Angola; 25 March 2007) | |||
| CECAFA Cup | |||
| Appearances | 12 (first in 1994) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (2019) | ||
Excluding its first match-up in the Pre-Independence era (which was a 1–1 draw in a Friendly against Sudan in 1992), Eritrea's official maiden international game after gaining independence from Ethiopia was during the group stage of the 1994 CECAFA Cup by winning 1–0 against Seychelles. It would later advance to the semi-finals in their first participation, losing to both Tanzania and Kenya, subsequently finishing fourth. In recent years, Eritrea's national team gained notoriety as several players vanished in an attempt to seek political asylum in foreign countries, leading to numerous withdrawals from the qualifying phase of major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations: from September 2023 to March 2026, Eritrea did not even have a FIFA ranking due to inactivity.[5][6]
As of 2026, the team's best result in a competition was during the most recent CECAFA Cup it participated in by finishing runner-up in 2019 as Eritrea came up short in the final by losing 3–0 to hosts Uganda.
History
Joshua Yonas' team participated in a friendly tournament in Sudan in 1992, the year before Eritrea achieved independence.[7] Eritrea participated in the 1994 CECAFA Cup, organised by the Council for East and Central Africa Football Association,[7] even though the ENFF was not founded until 1996.[8] The first full international was in the 1999 CECAFA Cup,[7][9] the year after the ENFF joined the CAF[10] and FIFA.[8] They participated in the qualifying rounds of the 2000 African Cup of Nations and the 2002 World Cup, and subsequent editions until 2008.[7] They have also appeared intermittently in the CECAFA Cup.[7][11]
In the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Eritrea managed a scoreless home draw versus Cameroon and a 1–0 home win over Mozambique. They finished second in their three team group, and advanced to a playoff round where they faced Senegal and Zimbabwe, but ultimately lost all four matches in that final stage.
In the first round of the qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup, they were drawn against Nigeria, and were defeated 4–0 in the away leg,[12] after a goalless draw at home.[13] The coach was Yilmaz Yuceturk.[12]
In the first round of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Sudan was Eritrea's first round opponent. Eritrea lost the first leg 3–0,[14] before another goalless draw in Asmara.[15] The coach was Eritrean Tekie Abraha.[14][15]
In group 6 of the qualifiers for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, under the guidance of Romanian Dorian Marin, Eritrea finished second behind Angola, failing to qualify for the final tournament. They beat Kenya twice and drew at home to Angola.
In the first round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Eritrea faced Rwanda. The first leg in Asmara ended in a 1–1 draw (and saw Eritrea's first ever goal in a World Cup qualification match), but Rwanda took the second leg by a score of 3–1.
In the first round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Eritrea faced Botswana. The first leg in Asmara saw Botswana win 2–0, and the second leg in Francistown saw Botswana win 3–1, with Botswana winning 5–1 on aggregate.
In the first round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Eritrea faced Namibia. The first leg in Asmara saw Namibia win 2–1, and the second leg saw Namibia win 2–0; Namibia won 4–1 on aggregate.
Eritrea withdrew from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers[16] and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers,[17] and would not play a match for six years until May 2025, when they played two matches against the Niger A' team: from 21 September 2023 to 31 March 2026, Eritrea was left out of the FIFA rankings because they did not play a recognised match within the last four years.[5][6]
On 25 March 2026, Eritrea played their first competitive game since before the COVID-19 pandemic when they participated in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round. It was also their first AFCON-related game since 2008.[18]
Withdrawals from major tournament qualifying
On 30 March 2014, Eritrea withdrew from the preliminary round of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers,[19] likely due to a rising number of the Eritrean national team players defecting from Eritrea during away matches.[20] They were intended to play against South Sudan, who were awarded a walkover.[21]
On 2 March 2022, Eritrea withdrew from the preliminary round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers due to the lack of a stadium that meets the requirements set by CAF to host its international matches.[22][16][17] They were intended to play against Botswana.[23] Botswana were also awarded a walkover.
In November 2023, Eritrea, who were drawn into Group E alongside Morocco, Zambia, Tanzania, Congo and Niger,[24] pulled out of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, citing the reason as being the refusal of Zemede Tekle, who is the Eritrean Commissioner for Sports and Culture, to participate in the playoffs.[17][25][26]
Defections
Recent years have seen a high number of refugees leaving Eritrea,[27][28] and some athletes travelling to competitions abroad have taken the opportunity to abscond.[29] In December 2012, seventeen Eritrean footballers and the team's doctor vanished after the CECAFA championship tournament in Uganda and all applied for asylum in the country.[30][31][32] Four players of Red Sea FC defected after a CAF Champions League 2006 match in Nairobi, Kenya,[33] and up to 12 members of the national side after the 2007 CECAFA Cup in Tanzania.[27][34] Another 6 players sought asylum in Angola in March 2007 after a group 6 qualifying game for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.[35][36] Three more players from the national team sought asylum in Sudan.[37]
Eritrea withdrew from the 2008 CECAFA Cup,[38] and from the common qualifying tournament shared by the 2010 World Cup and the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.[39] Given the number of players seeking asylum, the Eritrean government began requiring athletes to pay a 100,000 nakfa surety before traveling abroad.[33]
Eritrea returned to the 2009 CECAFA Cup in Nairobi. A young squad was assembled with just 12 days' training.[38] In Group B, they gained a surprise draw with Zimbabwe,[40] lost narrowly to Rwanda,[41] and beat Somalia 3–1.[42] They were easily beaten 4–0 in the quarter-finals by Tanzania.[38] Twelve squad members failed to report for the return flight, and sought the assistance of the Refugee Consortium of Kenya.[27][28] They were believed to be in hiding in Eastleigh, an eastern suburb of Nairobi home to many immigrants.[43] Nicholas Musonye, the secretary-general of CECAFA, feared that the government might react by refusing to let the team travel abroad in future.[28] The twelve players were later granted interim asylum by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Kenya.[44] Eleven of these players have since travelled to Adelaide in Australia[45] with two of them, Samuel Ghebrehiwet and Ambes Sium, signing for Gold Coast United in the A-League in August 2011.[46]
In the first round of the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, ten players from the Eritrean football team refused to return home after playing a World Cup qualifying match in Botswana and were granted asylum there.[47]
In September 2019, four members of the national Under-20 team sought asylum in Uganda after the team qualified for the semi-finals of a competition.[48] A few months later in December, a further seven players selected for the international team refused to return home and sought asylum in Uganda after a tournament.[49] In October 2021, five footballers from the country's under-20 women's team also disappeared when on international duty in Uganda.[50]
Return to qualifying competitions
In March 2026, Eritrea won both legs against Eswatini with 4–1 on aggregate in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round, advancing to the AFCON qualifiers for the first time in nearly two decades.[51] However, of the ten domestic players called up for the games, only three returned, with seven suspected to have absconded in South Africa.[52]
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
2026
| 25 March 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | Eritrea | 2–0 |  Eswatini | Meknes, Morocco |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Teklezghi  81'Sulieman 90+4' |
Report | Stadium: Stade d'Honneur Referee: Moussa Diou (Mauritania) |
| 31 March 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | Eswatini | 1–2 | Eritrea | Lobamba, Eswatini |
| 16:00 UTC+2 | Figuareido 90+6' |
Report | Sulieman 50', 59' |
Stadium: Somhlolo National Stadium Referee: Josefa Aurelio (São Tomé and Príncipe) |
Coaching history
Tekie Abraha (1991–1996)
Mushir Osman (1998–1999)- Tekie Abraha (1999–2000)
Yılmaz Yücetürk (2000–2002)- Negash Teklit (2002)
Vojo Gardašević (2002)- Tekie Abraha (2003)
- Mrad Abdul Tesfay (2004)
Dorian Marin (2006–2007)
René Feller (2007–2008)- Negash Teklit (2009–2012)
- Omar Ahmed Hussein (2013–2015)
- Alemseged Efrem (2015–2019)[53]
- Ermias Tewelde (2024–2025)[54]
- Hesham Yakan (2026–present)[55]
Caretaker managers are listed in italics
Players
Current squad
- The following players were called up for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification preliminary round double-header against Eswatini, on 25 and 31 March 2026.[56]
- Caps and goals are correct as of 31 March 2026[update], after the match against Eswatini.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Yonathan Sultan | 12 January 2007 | 2 | 0 |  Western United U21 |
| 12 | GK | Kibrom Solomon | 10 September 2000 | 9 | 0 | Denden |
| 3 | DF | Jonas Idris | 17 April 2005 | 2 | 0 |  Hellerup IK |
| 4 | DF | Jamal Ali | 12 September 1998 | 2 | 0 | Preston Lions |
| 6 | DF | Victor Fors | 11 March 1999 | 2 | 0 |  Kongsvinger |
| 22 | DF | Yosief Tsegay | 23 January 2001 | 2 | 0 | Denden |
| 24 | DF | Wedeb Fessehaye | 7 July 1999 | 2 | 0 | Al Tahrir |
| 26 | DF | Medhane Redie | 30 June 1993 | 2 | 0 | Red Sea |
| 8 | MF | Ablelom Teklezghi (captain) | 1 September 1996 | 11 | 1 | Red Sea |
| 14 | MF | Nahom Netabay | 28 April 1994 | 2 | 0 |  Degerfors |
| 25 | MF | Aethan Yohannes | 16 March 2004 | 0 | 0 |  Almere City U23 |
| 31 | MF | Namrud Embaye | 9 January 2002 | 2 | 0 |  Würzburger Kickers |
| 33 | MF | Nahom Tadese | 8 May 2000 | 2 | 0 | Denden |
| 9 | FW | Oliver Hintsa | 1 January 2001 | 1 | 0 |  Dinamo București |
| 10 | FW | Ali Sulieman | 12 September 2000 | 11 | 6 |  Kahraba Ismailia |
| 11 | FW | Romel Abdu | 28 November 2001 | 2 | 0 | Denden |
| 17 | FW | Siem Eyob-Abraha | 1 March 2008 | 2 | 0 |  Sheffield United U18 |
| 27 | FW | Fahmi Ibrahim | 25 April 2000 | 0 | 0 |  Maharlika |
| 29 | FW | Nobel Gebrezgi | 18 August 2003 | 1 | 0 | Unattached |
| 30 | FW | Amanuel Benhur | 12 September 2000 | 2 | 0 | Red Sea |
Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up for the team within the last twelve months and are still available and eligible for selection.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Awet Maharena | 19 October 1994 | 0 | 0 | Red Sea |
v. Eswatini, 25 March 2026PRE |
| DF | Nahom Awet | 10 November 2000 | 5 | 0 | Denden |
v. Eswatini, 25 March 2026PRE |
| DF | Henok Russom | 4 October 2003 | 2 | 0 | Red Sea |
v.  Niger A', 28 May 2025 |
| MF | Tesfaldet Tekie | 4 June 1997 | 0 | 0 | Hammarby |
v. Eswatini, 25 March 2026INJ |
| FW | Filimon Gerezgiher | 4 July 2000 | 0 | 0 | FC Emmen |
v. Eswatini, 25 March 2026WD |
| FW | Awet Alemseged | 27 April 2004 | 0 | 0 | Grorud IL |
v. Eswatini, 25 March 2026PRE |
| FW | Simon Abrahaley | 1 January 2005 | 0 | 0 | ONS Sneek |
v. Eswatini, 25 March 2026PRE |
| FW | Deven Gibxawi | 3 September 2000 | 9 | 0 | Red Sea |
v. Niger A', 28 May 2025 |
| ||||||
Player records
- As of 31 March 2026[57]
- Players in bold are still active with Eritrea.
Most appearances
| Rank | Name | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yidnekachew Shimangus | 23 | 6 | 1998–2007 |
| 2 | Yonas Fesehaye | 19 | 5 | 1999–2007 |
| 3 | Natnael Mesfun Zeru | 16 | 0 | 1998–2003 |
| 4 | Abel Afeworki | 13 | 0 | 1998–2002 |
| 5 | Efrem Bain Kaleb | 12 | 0 | 1998–2006 |
| 6 | Fassil Abreha | 11 | 3 | 1999–2003 |
| Berhane Aregai | 11 | 5 | 2002–2007 | |
| Ali Sulieman | 11 | 6 | 2019–present | |
| Ablelom Teklezghi | 11 | 1 | 2019–present | |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Name | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Sulieman | 6 | 11 | 0.55 | 2019–present |
| Yidnekachew Shimangus | 6 | 23 | 0.26 | 1998–2007 | |
| 3 | Berhane Aregai | 5 | 11 | 0.45 | 2002–2007 |
| Yonas Fesehaye | 5 | 19 | 0.26 | 1999–2007 | |
| 5 | Testfaldet Goitom | 3 | 8 | 0.38 | 2003–2009 |
| Fassil Abreha | 3 | 11 | 0.27 | 1999–2003 | |
| 7 | Elmon Temekribon | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2007 |
| Robel Kidane | 2 | 7 | 0.29 | 2015–2019 | |
| Suleman Mohamed | 2 | 7 | 0.29 | 2003–2007 | |
| Abel Okbay | 2 | 8 | 0.25 | 2019 | |
Competition records
FIFA World Cup
Africa Cup of Nations
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CECAFA Cup
| CECAFA Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 12 | ||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
 1973 to  1992 | Part of  Ethiopia | |||||||
| 1994 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 1995 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 1996 | ||||||||
 1999 | Group stage | 11th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 2000 | 8th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 15 | |
 2001 | 11th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 17 | |
| 2002 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 2003 | ||||||||
 2004 | ||||||||
| 2005 | Group stage | 10th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 18 |
| 2006 | 11th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | |
| 2007 | Quarter-finals | 8th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 8 |
| 2008 | Group stage | 10th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| 2009 | 12th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | |
| 2010 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 2011 | Group stage | 11th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 2012 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 2013 | ||||||||
| 2015 | Group stage | 11th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| 2017 | Did not enter | |||||||
| 2019 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Total | 0 Titles | 12/40 | 44 | 7 | 4 | 33 | 34 | 127 |
All-time record
- Key
|
|
As of 31 March 2026[58]
Positive Record Neutral Record Negative Record
| Opponent |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | −5 |
 Botswana | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 |
 Burundi | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | +0 |
 Cameroon | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 |
| Djibouti | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 |
| Eswatini | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| Ghana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 |
| Kenya | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 14 | −3 |
 Mali | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 |
 Malawi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 |
 Mozambique | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 |
 Namibia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 |
| Niger | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 |
 Nigeria | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
| Rwanda | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 16 | −9 |
 Senegal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 |
 Seychelles | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
 Somalia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Sudan | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 20 | −13 |
| Tanzania | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 |
| Uganda | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 17 | −11 |
 Yemen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 |
 Zanzibar | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 |
 Zimbabwe | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | −8 |
| Total | 87 | 15 | 20 | 52 | 59 | 141 | −82 |