The only nation not yet ranked by FIFA has made a comeback after six years

The only nation worldwide without a FIFA ranking has formally declared its intention to resume international matches following a six-year hiatus.

Eritrea – the only team not registered for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers – has confirmed its participation in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. This marks a significant turning point for the East African football nation.

The reason is not due to a lack of stadiums meeting the standards of the Confederation of African Football, but rather issues beyond football. The Eritrean Football Federation had previously declared withdrawal from both the AFCON 2025 qualifiers and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Eritrea’s last match was a friendly against Sudan in 2020. Their most recent official game was in 2019 during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

In 2023, Eritrea again withdrew from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers just days before their scheduled opening match. FIFA subsequently announced confirmation of this withdrawal and canceled all Eritrea’s matches in Group E, while the schedules for the other teams remained unchanged.

At that time, midfielder Mohammed Saeid openly expressed his frustration with both the government and the Eritrean Football Federation.

“I don’t understand why this is happening or who is responsible. Clearly, those in high positions do not value football,” he told BBC Sport Africa. “I feel extremely upset because many Eritrean-born players are developing well, with many playing across Europe. If given the chance, we could definitely compete. But with the current situation, will they still want to represent the Eritrean national team in the future?”

Saeid added: “In the future, I can still tell my children that I played for the Eritrean national team, which was one of the greatest experiences of my life. But right now, too many players are being denied that precious opportunity.”

According to FIFA rankings rules, any team that has not played an official match within 48 months will not be ranked. Therefore, Eritrea is absent from the FIFA rankings, which will pose challenges for the team upon its return.