Wikipedia

Eritrea national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Eritrea women's national football team.
This article contains several patronymic names rather than family names. These persons are addressed by their given name, and not by their inherited name.

The Eritrea national football team represents Eritrea in men's international football and it is controlled by the Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF). It is nicknamed the Red Sea Boys. 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). Out of 211 national teams in the FIFA men's team world rankings, they are the only one that is unranked.

Eritrea
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Red Sea Boys[1][2]
AssociationEritrean National Football Federation (ENFF)
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationCECAFA
(East & Central Africa)
Head coachAlemseged Efrem
CaptainRobel Teklemichael[3]
Most capsYidnekachew Shimangus (22)
Top scorerBerhane Aregai
Yonas Fesehaye
Yidnekachew Shimangus (5)
Home stadiumCicero Stadium
FIFA codeERI
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
CurrentNR (19 December 2024)[4]
Highest121[5] (August 2007)
Lowest207 (April–May 2018, September 2019)
First international
Pre-independence
 Sudan 1–1 Eritrea Ethiopia
(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
Appearances12 (first in 1994)
Best resultRunners-up (2019)

History

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An Eritrean 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]

Withdrawals from major tournament qualifying

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On 30 March 2014, Eritrea withdrew from the preliminary round of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers,[18] likely due to a rising number of the Eritrean national team players defecting from Eritrea during away matches.[19] They were intended to play against South Sudan, who were awarded a walkover.[20]

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.[21][16][17] They were intended to play against Botswana.[22]

In November 2023, Eritrea, who were drawn into Group E alongside Morocco, Zambia, Tanzania, Congo and Niger,[23] 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][24][25]

Defections

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Recent years have seen a high number of refugees leaving Eritrea,[26][27] and some athletes travelling to competitions abroad have taken the opportunity to abscond.[28] In December 2012, 17 Eritrean footballers and the team's doctor vanished after the CECAFA championship tournament in Uganda and all applied for asylum in the country.[29][30][31] Four players of Red Sea FC defected after a CAF Champions League 2006 match in Nairobi, Kenya,[32] and up to 12 members of the national side after the 2007 CECAFA Cup in Tanzania.[26][33] Another 6 players sought asylum in Angola in March 2007 after a group 6 qualifying game for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.[34][35] Three more players from the national team sought asylum in Sudan.[36]

Eritrea withdrew from the 2008 CECAFA Cup,[37] and from the common qualifying tournament shared by the 2010 World Cup and the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.[38] Given the number of players seeking asylum, the Eritrean government began requiring athletes to pay a 100,000 nakfa surety before traveling abroad.[32]

Eritrea returned to the 2009 CECAFA Cup in Nairobi. A young squad was assembled with just 12 days' training.[37] In Group B, they gained a surprise draw with Zimbabwe,[39] lost narrowly to Rwanda,[40] and beat Somalia 3–1.[41] They were easily beaten 4–0 in the quarter-finals by Tanzania.[37] Twelve squad members failed to report for the return flight, and sought the assistance of the Refugee Consortium of Kenya.[26][27] They were believed to be in hiding in Eastleigh, an eastern suburb of Nairobi home to many immigrants.[42] Nicholas Musonye, the secretary-general of CECAFA, feared that the government might react by refusing to let the team travel abroad in future.[27] The twelve players were later granted interim asylum by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Kenya.[43] Eleven of these players have since travelled to Adelaide in Australia[44] with two of them, Samuel Ghebrehiwet and Ambes Sium, signing for Gold Coast United in the A-League in August 2011.[45]

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.[46]

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.[47] 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.[48] In October 2021, five footballers from the country's under-20 women's team also disappeared when on international duty in Uganda.[49]

Results and fixtures

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Main article: Eritrea national football team results

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

2024

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3 June 2024 (2024-06-03) 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Tanzania   Cancelled   Eritrea
10 June 2024 (2024-06-10) 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Eritrea   Cancelled   Niger

Coaching history

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Players

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Latest squad

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The following players were selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Namibia on 10 September 2019.[citation needed]

Caps and goals correct as of 10 September 2019, after the match against Namibia.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Kibrom Solomon (2000-09-10) 10 September 2000 (age 24) 9 0   Denden
20 1GK Abdulahi Abdurahman (1986-01-01) 1 January 1986 (age 38) 3 0   Red Sea
2 2DF Eyob Girmay (1996-11-12) 12 November 1996 (age 28) 8 0   Denden
3 2DF Filmon Tumzghi (1993-03-24) 24 March 1993 (age 31) 8 0   Denden
4 2DF Robel Teklemichael (captain) (2000-07-24) 24 July 2000 (age 24) 8 0   Ethiopian Coffee
5 2DF Herman Fessehaye (2000-11-10) 10 November 2000 (age 24) 2 0   Red Sea
17 2DF Ablelom Teklezgi (1996-09-01) 1 September 1996 (age 28) 8 0   Red Sea
6 3MF Abel Okray (1996-11-20) 20 November 1996 (age 28) 2 0   Denden
7 3MF Yonas Solomon (1994-06-21) 21 June 1994 (age 30) 7 0   Al-Shorta
8 3MF Samiyuma Alexander (1991-05-16) 16 May 1991 (age 33) 3 0 Free agent
11 3MF Senai Hagos (1992-12-02) 2 December 1992 (age 32) 0 0   Åsane
14 3MF Christoffer Forsell (1994-02-19) 19 February 1994 (age 30) 0 0 Free agent
13 3MF Sammy Simon (1998-05-17) 17 May 1998 (age 26) 1 0 Free agent
16 3MF Mohammed Saeid (1990-12-24) 24 December 1990 (age 34) 1 0   Örebro
18 3MF Robel Asfaha (1987-01-31) 31 January 1987 (age 37) 0 0   Sundbybergs
19 3MF Alexander Andue (1998-06-05) 5 June 1998 (age 26) 0 0   Stocksund
9 4FW Henok Goitom (1984-09-22) 22 September 1984 (age 40) 4 1 Retired (assistant manager of AIK)
10 4FW Ali Sulieman (2000-01-01) 1 January 2000 (age 24) 8 3   Hawassa City
12 4FW Ezana Kahsay (1994-11-16) 16 November 1994 (age 30) 1 0   Mławianka Mława
15 4FW Ermias Tekie Simon (1986-09-29) 29 September 1986 (age 38) 0 0   Hallonbergens

Player records

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As of 22 January 2020[51]
Players in bold are still active with Eritrea.

Most appearances

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Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Yidnekachew Shimangus 22 5 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
8 Elias Debesa 9 0 1999–2007
Amanuel Iyassu 9 1 1998–2000
Kibrom Solomon 9 0 2019–present
Ali Sulieman 9 3 2019–present
Robel Teklemichael 9 0 2019–present
Ablelom Teklezghi 9 0 2019–present
Robel Kidane Tesfamichael 9 0 1999–2000
Efrem Tewolde 9 0 1998–1999
Filmon Tumzghi 9 0 2019–present

Top goalscorers

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Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Berhane Aregai 5 11 0.45 2002–2007
Yonas Fesehaye 5 19 0.26 1999–2007
Yidnekachew Shimangus 5 22 0.23 1998–2007
4 Testfaldet Goitom 3 8 0.38 2003–2009
Ali Sulieman 3 9 0.33 2019–present
Fassil Abreha 3 11 0.27 1999–2003
7 Elmon Temekribon 2 1 2 2007
Robel Kidane 2 7 0.29 2015–present
Suleman Mohamed 2 7 0.29 2003–2007
Abiel Okbay 2 8 0.25 2019–present

Competition records

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CECAFA Cup

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Main article: 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

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Key

As of 25 January 2020[52]

  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 2 0 2 0 0 0 0
  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
  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 84 14 19 51 57 139 −82

References

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