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Eritrea national football team facts for kids

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Eritrea
Nickname(s) Red Sea Camels
Association Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF)
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation CECAFA
(East & Central Africa)
Head coach Ermias Tewelde
Captain Robel Teklemichael
Most caps Yidnekachew Shimangus (23)
Top scorer Yidnekachew Shimangus (6)
Home stadium Cicero Stadium
FIFA code ERI
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 204 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 121 (August 2007)
Lowest 207 (April–May 2018, September 2019)
Elo ranking
Current 183 Decrease 2 (3 March 2019)
Highest 140 (1992)
Lowest 185 (2018)
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
Appearances 12 (first in 1994)
Best result Runners-up (2019)

The Eritrea national football team plays for Eritrea in men's international football games. The team is managed by the Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF). They are often called the Red Sea Boys or Red Sea Camels.

Eritrea has never played in the final tournaments of the FIFA World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. The team from Asmara, Red Sea FC, provides many players for the national team. Eritrea is a member of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Team History

An Eritrean football team played in a friendly tournament in Sudan in 1992. This was before Eritrea became an independent country. Eritrea then joined the 1994 CECAFA Cup, which is a tournament for teams in East and Central Africa. The Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF) was officially started in 1996.

The team's first official international match was in the 1999 CECAFA Cup. This was after the ENFF joined CAF and FIFA. Eritrea has tried to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup many times since then. They also play in the CECAFA Cup regularly.

Early Matches

In the qualifiers for the 2000 African Cup of Nations, Eritrea had some good results. They tied 0–0 at home against Cameroon. They also won 1–0 at home against Mozambique. They moved to a playoff round but lost their matches against Senegal and Zimbabwe.

For the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, Eritrea played against Nigeria. They tied 0–0 at home but lost 4–0 away. Their coach at that time was Yilmaz Yuceturk.

In the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup, Eritrea played against Sudan. They lost the first game 3–0 and then tied 0–0 in Asmara. The coach was Eritrean Tekie Abraha.

For the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Eritrea finished second in their group behind Angola. They did not qualify for the main tournament. During this time, they beat Kenya twice and tied at home with Angola. Their coach was Dorian Marin from Romania.

Recent World Cup Qualifiers

In the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup, Eritrea played Rwanda. The first game in Asmara was a 1–1 draw. This was Eritrea's first goal ever in a World Cup qualifier. However, Rwanda won the second game 3–1.

For the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Eritrea played Botswana. Botswana won both games, 2–0 in Asmara and 3–1 in Francistown. Botswana won 5–1 overall.

In the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, Eritrea played Namibia. Namibia won the first game 2–1 in Asmara and the second game 2–0. Namibia won 4–1 overall.

Eritrea did not participate in the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations or the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Team Withdrawals

Eritrea has sometimes withdrawn from major tournament qualifiers. In 2014, they pulled out of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. This was likely because some players chose not to return home after playing away matches.

In 2022, Eritrea withdrew from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The reason given was that they did not have a stadium that met the rules for international matches set by CAF.

In November 2023, Eritrea also pulled out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The reason was that the Eritrean Commissioner for Sports and Culture decided not to let the team play.

Players Not Returning Home

Over the years, some Eritrean athletes traveling for competitions have chosen to stay in other countries. For example, in December 2012, 17 Eritrean footballers and their team doctor did not return after a tournament in Uganda.

Other instances include:

  • Four players from Red Sea FC did not return after a game in Kenya in 2006.
  • Up to 12 national team members did not return after a tournament in Tanzania in 2007.
  • Six players chose to stay in Angola in March 2007 after a qualifying game.
  • Three more players from the national team chose to stay in Sudan.

Because of this, the Eritrean government started asking athletes to pay a large amount of money as a guarantee before traveling abroad.

Eritrea returned to the 2009 CECAFA Cup with a young team. After the tournament, twelve squad members did not report for their flight home. They were later allowed to stay in Kenya. Some of these players later moved to Australia.

In 2015, ten players from the Eritrean football team chose not to return home after a World Cup qualifying match in Botswana. They were allowed to stay there.

More recently, in September 2019, four members of the national Under-20 team chose to stay in Uganda. A few months later, in December, seven more senior players also chose to stay in Uganda after a tournament. In October 2021, five players from the country's under-20 women's team also did not return home after playing in Uganda.

Results and Upcoming Games

Here are the recent match results and any games planned for the future.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024 Matches

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

2025 Matches

26 May 2025 (2025-05-26) Friendly Eritrea  0–0  Niger A' Asmara, Eritrea
16:00 UTC+3 Stadium: Asmara Stadium
28 May 2025 (2025-05-28) Friendly Eritrea  0–1  Niger A' Asmara, Eritrea
16:20 UTC+3 Abdouramane Goal 12' Stadium: Asmara Stadium

Coaches of the Team

Tekie Abraha
Tekie Abraha, who was born in Asmara, was one of the first managers of the Eritrean national football team.
  • Eritrea Tekie Abraha (1991–1996)
  • Egypt Mushir Osman (1998–1999)
  • Eritrea Tekie Abraha (1999–2000)
  • Turkey Yılmaz Yücetürk (2000–2002)
  • Eritrea Negash Teklit (2002, caretaker)
  • Montenegro Vojo Gardašević (2002)
  • Eritrea Tekie Abraha (2003)
  • Eritrea Mrad Abdul Tesfay (2004)
  • Romania Dorian Marin (2006–2007)
  • Netherlands René Feller (2007–2008)
  • Eritrea Negash Teklit (2009–2012)
  • Eritrea Omar Ahmed Hussein (2013–2015)
  • Eritrea Alemseged Efrem (2015–2019)
  • Eritrea Ermias Tewelde (2024-)

Team Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Namibia on September 10, 2019.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of September 10, 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 Eritrea Denden
20 1GK Abdulahi Abdurahman (1986-01-01) 1 January 1986 (age 39) 3 0 Eritrea Red Sea

2 2DF Eyob Girmay (1996-11-12) 12 November 1996 (age 28) 8 0 Eritrea Denden
3 2DF Filmon Tumzghi (1993-03-24) 24 March 1993 (age 32) 8 0 Eritrea Denden
4 2DF Robel Teklemichael (captain) (2000-07-24) 24 July 2000 (age 25) 8 0 Ethiopia Ethiopian Coffee
5 2DF Herman Fessehaye (2000-11-10) 10 November 2000 (age 24) 2 0 Eritrea Red Sea
17 2DF Ablelom Teklezgi (1996-09-01) 1 September 1996 (age 28) 8 0 Eritrea Red Sea

6 3MF Abel Okray (1996-11-20) 20 November 1996 (age 28) 2 0 Eritrea Denden
7 3MF Yonas Solomon (1994-06-21) 21 June 1994 (age 31) 7 0 Sudan Al-Shorta
8 3MF Samiyuma Alexander (1991-05-16) 16 May 1991 (age 34) 3 0 Free agent
11 3MF Senai Hagos (1992-12-02) 2 December 1992 (age 32) 0 0 Norway Åsane
14 3MF Christoffer Forsell (1994-02-19) 19 February 1994 (age 31) 0 0 Free agent
13 3MF Sammy Simon (1998-05-17) 17 May 1998 (age 27) 1 0 Free agent
16 3MF Mohammed Saeid (1990-12-24) 24 December 1990 (age 34) 1 0 Sweden Örebro
18 3MF Robel Asfaha (1987-01-31) 31 January 1987 (age 38) 0 0 Sweden Sundbybergs
19 3MF Alexander Andue (1998-06-05) 5 June 1998 (age 27) 0 0 Sweden 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 25) 8 3 Ethiopia Hawassa City
12 4FW Ezana Kahsay (1994-11-16) 16 November 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Poland Siarka Tarnobrzeg
15 4FW Ermias Tekie Simon (1986-09-29) 29 September 1986 (age 38) 0 0 Sweden Hallonbergens

Player Records

Players in bold are still playing for Eritrea.

Most Games Played

Rank Name Caps Goals Career
1 Yidnekachew Shimangus 23 6 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 Tesfamichael 9 0 1999–2000
Efrem Tewolde 9 0 1998–1999
Filmon Tumzghi 9 0 2019–present

Top Goal Scorers

Rank Name Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Yidnekachew Shimangus 6 23 0.26 1998–2007
2 Berhane Aregai 5 11 0.45 2002–2007
Yonas Fesehaye 5 19 0.26 1999–2007
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

Tournament Records

CECAFA Cup

CECAFA Cup record
Appearances: 12
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Uganda 1973 to Tanzania 1992 Part of  Ethiopia
Kenya 1994 Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 3 2
Uganda 1995 Did not enter
Sudan 1996
Rwanda 1999 Group stage 11th 2 0 0 2 2 6
Uganda 2000 8th 4 0 1 3 4 15
Rwanda 2001 11th 3 0 0 3 3 17
Tanzania 2002 Did not enter
Sudan 2003
Ethiopia 2004
Rwanda 2005 Group stage 10th 4 0 0 4 2 18
Ethiopia 2006 11th 3 0 0 3 0 10
Tanzania 2007 Quarter-finals 8th 4 2 0 2 8 8
Uganda 2008 Group stage 10th 4 0 1 3 2 13
Kenya 2009 12th 3 0 0 3 0 13
Tanzania 2010 Did not enter
Tanzania 2011 Group stage 11th 3 0 0 3 2 10
Uganda 2012 Did not enter
Kenya 2013
Rwanda 2015 Group stage 11th 3 0 0 3 0 9
Kenya 2017 Did not enter
Uganda 2019 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 1 2 8 6
Total 0 Titles 12/40 44 7 4 33 34 127

All-Time Record

Key

As of May 28, 2025

      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
 Swaziland 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
 Niger 2 0 1 1 0 1 −1
 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 86 14 20 52 57 140 −83

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Eritrea para niños

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