AFCON 2027Q: Kenya face Eritrea in clash overshadowed by history of player disappearances

Kenya’s Harambee Stars and Eritrea will face off on Saturday, September 26 in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Group D opening qualifier at the Nyayo National Stadium from 4PM EAT.

For Kenya, these qualifiers, where they will also face South Africa and Guinea, carry a different significance.

As one of the co-hosts of the continental showpiece alongside Uganda and Tanzania, Kenya have already qualified for the main tournament in 2027.

This means the Harambee Stars are playing largely to test themselves against continental opposition ahead of the tournament.

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For Eritrea, however, the situation is completely different. The Red Sea Camels must finish top of the group to join Kenya among the qualified sides.

The Eritreans are back seeking their first ever ticket to the AFCON finals, a tournament they have never played in. Their last appearance in AFCON qualifying came 19 years ago.

After making a return to international football this year, Eritrea managed to get past Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate to book their place in the final qualifying group stage, with the matches played back in March.

Ranked 184th in the world by FIFA, with only four African nations below them, Eritrea have played just a handful of games over the last six years. They last featured in an AFCON qualifier in September 2007, ironically against Eswatini.

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And since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1993, they have never qualified for the AFCON finals.

They came close in their campaign for the 2008 edition, finishing second in their group, four points behind Angola but clear of Kenya and Eswatini.

Since then, they have either skipped qualification or withdrawn without playing a game, often leaving organisers the Confederation of African Football (CAF) with a headache after including the East Africans in the draw.

Following a friendly against Sudan in January 2020, the men’s senior team didn’t play another match until a friendly double-header against Niger in May last year.

They had been scheduled to play bitter rivals Ethiopia in qualifiers for the African Nations Championship in November 2024 but pulled out at the last minute.

It’s believed a major reason for the constant withdrawals has been that the country fears domestic-based players will abscond and defect once they travel abroad.

Still, that is just a pinch of salt in the fresh ocean. Their return to continental football has already been overshadowed by the fact that at least seven Eritrean players managed to slip away and escape during their team’s international trip.

Eritrea is widely regarded as an authoritarian state and is frequently ranked among the least democratic nations globally.

Football within the country is heavily impacted by these conditions, with players subject to strict regulations that prevent them from leaving without prior government authorisation.

That reality has already led to an overhaul of the squad that played Eswatini.

The opening two group games have drawn 27 players from clubs in 13 different countries, many of them born abroad to Eritrean parents. A total of 14 have been called up for the first time.

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And this is not the first time national team players have vanished. Dozens keep seeking asylum and disappearing while on international duty across various host countries.

In Kenya alone, over two dozen Eritrean football players and officials have vanished to seek political asylum across multiple tournaments over the past two decades.

This includes a notable incident in 2006 when four Red Sea FC players went missing, a massive defection in 2009 where 12 national squad members vanished after a CECAFA match, and a 2013 incident where two more players deserted their training camp.

These recurring disappearances have led Eritrean authorities to tighten security for upcoming matches against Kenya and South Africa.

Reports say Eritrea’s head of state has personally ordered heightened surveillance during travel to Kenya and South Africa, with locally-based players assigned dedicated minders to monitor their movements after past unauthorised exits.

ALSO READ: McCarthy decries unpaid salaries, allowances in Harambee Stars camp

• Kenya: 4 players in Nairobi (2006); 12 players (2009); 2 players (2013)
• Tanzania: Up to 12 players (2007)
• Angola: 6 players (2007)
• Uganda: 4 players (2019, U-20); 7 players (2019); 5 players (2021, U-20 women)
• Botswana: 10 players (2015)
• Eswatini/South Africa route: 7 players (2026)