During the AFCON 2027 qualifiers, Duke Abuya from Kenya will face Ali Ibrahim from Eritrea at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi this weekend. Although Eritrea may not have the high profile of Guinea or South Africa, the 'Camels of the Red Sea' have already demonstrated that they should not be underestimated ahead of the AFCON 2027 qualifier match on Wednesday.
South Africa will play against Eritrea at Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo on Wednesday, September 30th. The Bafana team aims to continue its success after the first victory over Guinea. Meanwhile, Eritrea earned a valuable point in its first group stage match, drawing with Kenya in Nairobi.
Initially, Eritrea was on track to secure all three points after Nahom Netabai opened the scoring, but Kenya equalized in the 87th minute thanks to Ryan Ogamu. Eritrea's own federation characterized the first half as strong.
Team in Transition
The Eritrean national team is undergoing a transformation under the guidance of Egyptian coach Hesham Yakan, who is the first foreign coach in the country in 18 years. Yakan is leading a significant change in player selection, as Eritrea is attracting more players who play for foreign clubs, aiming to strengthen the national team.
The AFCON squad, consisting of 30 players, mainly comprises players based abroad, with only three players from domestic Eritrean clubs: captain Abel Teklezgi, Nahom Tadse, and forward Romel Abdu. This change is partly due to long-standing issues with player defection in Eritrea and difficulties related to the infrastructure of local football.
Inability to Play at Home
Although Bafana will technically be playing away on Wednesday, Eritrea will not gain the traditional advantage of home ground. The 'Camels of the Red Sea' currently do not have a CAF-approved stadium, forcing them to host their home qualifier match in Cairo. The Eritrean national team arrived in Egypt on Monday after traveling from Kenya and is now preparing for the second match of Group D.
Chasing First AFCON Appearance
Eritrea has never qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations. Therefore, its return to the AFCON qualification group stage is highly significant. The 'Camels of the Red Sea' returned to this stage of competition for the first time since the 2008 qualifiers. They first had to go through a preliminary round, where they defeated Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate over two matches, to reach the group phase.
They are now in a difficult Group D alongside South Africa, Guinea, and Kenya. Since Kenya is automatically qualified as one of the three host countries for 2027, along with Uganda and Tanzania, only one of South Africa, Guinea, and Eritrea can win the remaining spot in the qualification from this group. This makes the match on Wednesday particularly important.