Eritrea’s AFCON Hopes in Doubt After 7 Players Disappear in South Africa
- Seven Eritrean players disappeared in South Africa following their historic AFCON qualification victory over Eswatini
- The Eritrea players vanished shortly after defeating Eswatini to reach the AFCON qualifiers for the first time in nearly two decades
- Eritrea's further participation in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers is now in doubt following this incident
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Source: Twitter
Eritrea's hopes of participating in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) are now in doubt after seven players from the team disappeared while in South Africa.
The players went missing after Eritrea defeated Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate on March 31, 2026. The victory ensured that Eritrea booked their place in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations group-stage qualifiers for the first time in nearly two decades.
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However, the East African nation's further participation in the tournament is now in serious doubt after the players went missing.
The group qualifiers are scheduled to take place between September and November 2026.
These matches will determine the teams that qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Eritrea coach confirms players disappeared
Eritrea coach Hesham Yakan confirmed that some players had disappeared shortly after the qualification victory over Eswatini.
However, Yakan insisted that most of the players who had gone missing were not first-choice starters.
“Most of them are substitute players,” Yakan told Reuters.
He also added that he did not think that the players in question would continue to play the game.
“I do not think they will continue playing football,” said Yakan.
Eritrea's victory against Eswatini was considered unlikely given that the team had gone six years without playing a competitive game before that match.
Now it seems that all that good work may be undone after seven members of the team went missing.
Source: Twitter
Not the first time Eritrea players have disappeared abroad
According to Reuters, around 80 Eritrean footballers have disappeared in foreign countries over the last 20 years. The publication stated:
"It is estimated that around 80 Eritrean footballers have disappeared while travelling abroad over the past two decades."
In 2023, Eritrea’s football federation withdrew its team from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers out of fear that players would flee and seek political asylum in other countries.
The Guardian reported that the decision was made a few days before Eritrea were due to travel to Morocco.
Social media reacts after Eritrea players disappear in South Africa
The disappearance of Eritrea's players in South Africa triggered reactions after African football journalist Micky Jnr shared the news in a social media post.
Posting on Facebook, Micky Jnr wrote:
"Seven players from the Eritrean national team have reportedly run away in South Africa, refusing to return after helping Eritrea reach the AFCON qualifying group stage for the first time in 19 years."
See the post below:
Some social media users claimed that Eritrean players have a habit of disappearing abroad, with some recounting how the same had happened in their countries.
Khumo Antonio Serole wrote:
"They always run this one's we have 10 of them in Botswana."
Thabo Toko added:
"They once did the same thing here in Botswana. Ao shams, it might be hard for them in their own country."
Others speculated on the players' whereabouts. Some jokingly used the incident to poke fun at their football rivals.
Tri NI TY wrote:
"Did they check them in Naturena?? Kaizer Chiefs signs everything that kicks fresh air."
Thulani Manyoni claimed:
"I saw them at Naturena this morning."
Others, however, claimed that the missing players were now running spaza shops in South Africa.
Hailey Nino Selasi posted:
"4 of them already own a spaza shop."
Movei Shikwambana Emanuel wrote:
"7 × 7 = 49 which means more 49 spaza shop is going to open soon in South Africa."
Shokane Innocent added:
"They spotted a side to open the spaza shops."
Bafana Bafana fans reel over World Cup tickets against Mexico
Briefly News previously reported that South Africa's football fans were left reeling at the price of tickets for their first FIFA World Cup match against Mexico.
This came after revelations that only four percent of South Africa's allocation of tickets for the match remained available. The ticket prices also brought attention to Mama Joy's request to travel to the tournament.
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Source: Briefly News
