At a time when African teams are vying fiercely to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, one country prefers to stay away from the competition. The country in question is Eritrea, which has reportedly decided to withdraw not only from the CAN 2025, but also from the 2027 and 2029 editions.
According to available information, the main reason for this decision is the fear that certain players will take advantage of these tournaments to flee the country. Since 2009, more than 60 Eritrean footballers have reportedly left their national teams during matches abroad, seeking to escape the country’s authoritarian regime. Eritrea has also withdrawn from qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, citing similar concerns.
Meanwhile, the other African nations continue their fight for a place at CAN 2025. After rounds 3 and 4 of the qualifiers, 14 teams have already qualified, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Algeria, Senegal, DR Congo, Angola, Egypt and Morocco. However, Côte d’Ivoire, winners of the CAN 2023, have yet to secure their ticket. The team, led by Emerse Faé, recently suffered defeat at the hands of Sierra Leone, delaying their qualification.
Coach Faé had this to say: “We learn from every match, win or lose. The changes we made were well-deserved for the players concerned, who had an excellent training camp. We played in special conditions, and it was preferable to rest certain players who have played a lot since the start of the season. Playing on a synthetic pitch wasn’t ideal for them, which allowed others to have their chance. This choice was not conclusive, but the six newcomers shouldn’t be blamed. We lost together, just as we win together, so there are no regrets.
Despite this setback, all is not lost for the Ivorians, who intend to play their last cards well in the forthcoming matches to secure their qualification. We’ll be watching closely.
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