Seven members of Eritrea’s national football team have reportedly gone missing in South Africa. Their disappearance occurred after they played a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Eswatini. The Eritrean squad for the AFCON qualifiers consisted of 24 players; however, only ten of these were Eritrean-based players. Of those ten, only three have returned to their home country.
It is suspected that the players defected while traveling to South Africa from Eswatini, a small landlocked country. This incident is not isolated; the United Nations estimates that approximately 80 Eritrean players, coaches, or officials have defected over the past two decades while traveling internationally for football matches.
Eritrea, a small East African nation bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti, and the Red Sea, is recognized as one of the world’s least developed countries and has one of the worst human rights records globally. The country has been governed by Isaias Afwerki since its independence from Ethiopia in 1993.
Eritrea Defeats Eswatini 4-1 to Advance to AFCON Qualifiers Group Stage
Despite being ranked 184th (out of 211) by FIFA, Eritrea triumphed over Eswatini with a 4-1 aggregate score in the two-legged knockout tie, securing their spot in the group stage for the 2027 AFCON. Of the 24-player squad, 14 were based abroad, playing in countries such as Australia, Egypt, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, and Sweden. Ali Suleiman, who plays for Egypt’s Ismailia Electricity Club, scored three of Eritrea’s four goals. Notably, Eritrea hosts its home matches in Morocco due to the lack of an internationally compliant stadium within its borders.