The team is no longer included in the FIFA rankings because it has not played a single match in the past 48 months.
Eritrea national team withdrew from the selection process World Cup 2026. FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) jointly announced the cancellation of the team’s matches, starting with the upcoming match against Morocco, without an official explanation.
It is reported that the country’s leadership made this decision due to fears that the team’s players would be able to flee the country. Since 2009, about 60 players of the national team have sought political asylum from local dictatorial regimes in other states, taking advantage of travel to football matches.
The players had been preparing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup for three months, but in October the authorities informed them of their withdrawal. The Eritrean National Football Federation reportedly tried to convince the sports ministry but was unsuccessful.
The Eritrea national team played its last friendly match with Sudan in 2020, and played its last official match in September 2019. The team dropped out of the official FIFA rankings because it had not played a single game in the past 48 months.
Source: Sportarena
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