Eritrea national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Eritrea

Nickname(s)	Red Sea Boys
Association	Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	CECAFA (East & Central Africa)
Head coach	Alemseged Efrem
Captain	Robel Teklemichael
Most caps	Yidnekachew Shimangus (22)
Top scorer	Berhane Aregai Yonas Fesehaye Yidnekachew Shimangus (5)
Home stadium	Cicero Stadium
FIFA code	ERI
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	204 (7 February 2019)
Highest	121 (August 2007)
Lowest	207 (April–May 2018, September 2019)
Elo ranking
Current	183 2 (3 March 2019)
Highest	140 (1992)
Lowest	185 (2018)
First international
Pre-independence  Sudan 1–1 Eritrea (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 known as the Red Sea Boys.

This team has never made it to the final tournaments of the FIFA World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations. Most players come from the Asmara club Red Sea FC. The team is part of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Team History and Milestones

An Eritrean 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. The ENFF, which manages the team, was officially started in 1996.

Their first official international match was in the 1999 CECAFA Cup. This was after the ENFF joined CAF and FIFA. The team also played in the qualifying rounds for the 2000 African Cup of Nations and the 2002 World Cup. They continued to play in these qualifiers until 2008. They have also played in the CECAFA Cup many times.

Early Qualifiers and Matches

In the qualifiers for the 2000 African Cup of Nations, Eritrea had some notable games. They tied 0–0 at home against Cameroon. They also won 1–0 at home against Mozambique. They finished second in their group. This allowed them to move to a playoff round. However, they lost all their matches in that final stage.

For the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, Eritrea played against Nigeria. They tied 0–0 at home. But they lost 4–0 in the away game. 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. The second game in Asmara was a 0–0 draw. The coach was Eritrean Tekie Abraha.

For the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Eritrea was coached by Dorian Marin. They finished second in their group behind Angola. They did not qualify for the main tournament. They managed to beat Kenya twice. They also tied at home against Angola.

Recent World Cup Qualifiers

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

For the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Eritrea played Botswana. Botswana won the first game in Asmara 2–0. Botswana also won the second game 3–1. This meant Botswana won 5–1 overall.

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

Eritrea later decided not to participate in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Team Withdrawals from Tournaments

Eritrea has sometimes withdrawn from major football tournaments. On March 30, 2014, they pulled out of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. This was likely because many players chose not to return home during away matches. They were supposed to play against South Sudan, who then won by default.

On March 2, 2022, Eritrea also 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. They were scheduled to play against Botswana.

In November 2023, Eritrea also withdrew from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The reason given was that the Eritrean Commissioner for Sports and Culture did not want the team to play.

Players Not Returning Home

In recent years, some Eritrean athletes traveling for competitions have chosen not to return home. In December 2012, 17 Eritrean footballers and their team doctor did not return after a tournament in Uganda. They all asked for safety in Uganda.

Earlier, in 2006, four players from Red Sea FC did not return after a match in Kenya. Up to 12 national team members also did not return after a tournament in Tanzania in 2007. Another 6 players sought safety in Angola in March 2007. Three more players from the national team sought safety in Sudan.

Because many players were not returning, the Eritrean government started asking athletes to pay a large amount of money as a guarantee before traveling abroad.

Eritrea did not play in the 2008 CECAFA Cup. They also did not play in the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

The team returned for the 2009 CECAFA Cup in Nairobi. A young team was put together quickly. They had a surprising tie with Zimbabwe. They lost closely to Rwanda. They also beat Somalia 3–1. They lost 4–0 in the quarter-finals to Tanzania. After this tournament, twelve players did not get on the return flight. They sought help in Kenya. Some of these players later traveled to Australia. Two of them, Samuel Ghebrehiwet and Ambes Sium, even signed with a professional team there.

In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, ten players from the Eritrean team did not return home after a match in Botswana. They were granted safety there.

In September 2019, four players from the national Under-20 team sought safety in Uganda. This happened after they qualified for the semi-finals of a competition. A few months later in December, seven more players from the senior team also did not return home. They sought safety in Uganda after another tournament. In October 2021, five players from the country's under-20 women's team also did not return when on international duty in Uganda.

Match Results and Upcoming Games

Here are the results from the last year and any future games planned.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Matches

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 16 November 2023	Morocco	Cancelled	Eritrea	Agadir, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400017604		Stadium: Agadir Stadium

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 20 November 2023	Eritrea	Cancelled	Congo	Agadir, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400017603		Stadium: Agadir Stadium

2024 Matches

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 3 June 2024 (2024-06-03)	Tanzania	Cancelled	Eritrea

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 10 June 2024 (2024-06-10)	Eritrea	Cancelled	Niger

Coaching History

Current Players

Latest Squad

The players listed below were chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers match 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	Denden
20	1GK	Abdulahi Abdurahman	(1986-01-01) 1 January 1986 (age 39)	3	0	Red Sea
2	2DF	Eyob Girmay	(1996-11-12) 12 November 1996 (age 28)	8	0	Denden
3	2DF	Filmon Tumzghi	(1993-03-24) 24 March 1993 (age 32)	8	0	Denden
4	2DF	Robel Teklemichael (captain)	(2000-07-24) 24 July 2000 (age 24)	8	0	Ethiopian Coffee
5	2DF	Herman Fessehaye	(2000-11-10) 10 November 2000 (age 24)	2	0	Red Sea
17	2DF	Ablelom Teklezgi	(1996-09-01) 1 September 1996 (age 28)	8	0	Red Sea
6	3MF	Abel Okray	(1996-11-20) 20 November 1996 (age 28)	2	0	Denden
7	3MF	Yonas Solomon	(1994-06-21) 21 June 1994 (age 30)	7	0	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	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	Örebro
18	3MF	Robel Asfaha	(1987-01-31) 31 January 1987 (age 38)	0	0	Sundbybergs
19	3MF	Alexander Andue	(1998-06-05) 5 June 1998 (age 27)	0	0	Stocksund
9	4FW	Henok Goitom	(1984-09-22) 22 September 1984 (age 40)	4	1	Retired
10	4FW	Ali Sulieman	(2000-01-01) 1 January 2000 (age 25)	8	3	Hawassa City
12	4FW	Ezana Kahsay	(1994-11-16) 16 November 1994 (age 30)	1	0	Mławianka Mława
15	4FW	Ermias Tekie Simon	(1986-09-29) 29 September 1986 (age 38)	0	0	Hallonbergens

Player Records

Players whose names are in bold are still playing for Eritrea.

Most Appearances

Top Goalscorers

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup Qualification Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA 1930 to 1938 Part of  Italy Part of  Italy 1950 to 1990 Part of  Ethiopia Part of  Ethiopia 1994 to 1998 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member 2002 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 4 2006 2 0 1 1 0 3 2010 Did not enter Did not enter 2014 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 4 2018 2 0 0 2 1 5 2022 2 0 0 2 1 4 2026 Withdrew Withdrew 2030 To be determined To be determined 2034 Total – 0/7 – – – – – – 10 0 3 7 4 20 Africa Cup of Nations Africa Cup of Nations record Qualification record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA 1957 Part of  Ethiopia Part of  Ethiopia 1959 1962 1963 1965 1968 1970 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 Not affiliated with CAF Not affiliated with CAF 1996 1998 2000 Withdrew 9 1 1 7 4 22 2002 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 3 6 2004 6 1 0 5 1 7 2006 2 0 1 1 0 3 2008 6 2 3 1 5 8 2010 Withdrew Withdrew 2012 Did not enter Did not enter 2013 2015 Withdrew Withdrew 2017 Did not enter Did not enter 2019 2021 2023 Withdrew Withdrew 2025 Excluded Excluded 2027 To be determined To be determined Total – 0/35 – – – – – – 25 5 5 15 13 46

CECAFA Cup

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

All-Time Match Record

Key

As of January 25, 2020

      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
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	84	14	19	51	57	139	−82

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Eritrea para niños