Seven players from the Eritrea national football team have failed to return home after their side secured a historic victory over Eswatini national football team.

A source close to the squad told the BBC on Monday that while part of the team travelled back via South Africa after the match, the seven players are believed to have absconded.

The development comes shortly after Eritrea’s 2–1 win in Eswatini, which secured a 4–1 aggregate victory and a return to the qualifying group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 19 years.

Sources said only 10 members of the 24-man squad were based in Eritrea, and just three of those players—including team captain Ablelom Teklezghi—have returned to the country.

Although the whereabouts of the missing players remain unclear, reports indicate that some may have been seen in South Africa. Among those who failed to return are goalkeeper Kubrom Solomon and veteran winger Medhanie Redie.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the 16 countries that will compete at the 2026 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The 16 teams set to feature at the tournament are :

Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire; DR Congo Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Morocco (hosts); Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The competition is scheduled to take place in Morocco from April 25 to May 15, 2026, and will also serve as Africa’s qualification route for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

With the global tournament expanding to 48 teams, the top 10 finishers at the AFCON finals will secure qualification.

However, Nigeria is missing from the tournament for the second consecutive edition.

Nigeria’s absence follows their elimination in the WAFU Zone B qualifiers, where the Golden Eaglets suffered a 2-0 semi-final defeat to Ghana in September 2025, ending their hopes of reaching the continental stage.

CAF’s qualification process is organised across six regional zones—UNAF, WAFU A, WAFU B, UNIFFAC, CECAFA, and COSAFA—with each region hosting its own tournament to determine representatives for the AFCON finals.

The world’s football body , FIFA, has ranked Nigeria’s Super Eagles third in Africa (behind Morocco and Senegal), and 26th globally.

In a post on FIFA’s website on Wednesday, the ranking reflects Nigeria’s strong performances in friendlies, including a 2‑1 win over Iran and a 2‑2 draw with Jordan, as well as their showing at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.

In the 2025 AFCON tournament, Nigeria won five matches against Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Mozambique, and Algeria, drew with Morocco in the semi-finals, and defeated Egypt in the third-place playoff.

Other nations saw minor adjustments in the rankings.

Iran slipped from 20th to 21st following consecutive defeats, while Jordan moved up to 63rd after draws with Nigeria and Costa Rica.

Globally, France has reclaimed the number one spot after wins over Colombia and Brazil, overtaking Spain, which was held to a goalless draw by a ten-man Egypt. Argentina, England, Portugal, and Brazil round out the top six.