Missing in action: How Eritrean football was deflated at home and abroad

Eritrea national football team line just before the start of a World Cup qualifying match at Francistown's Stadium on October 13, 2015. Ten footballers from Eritrea's national squad sought political asylum in Botswana after the match [File: Monirul Bhuiyan/AFP]

On November 15, African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup began to determine which nine countries go on to the global showpiece. Every national team on the continent has since seen action, except East African minnows Eritrea, who withdrew from the qualifiers ahead of their first tie against Morocco.

Effectively, the team will miss out on 10 matches over the next two years and their World Cup dreams have ended even without kicking a ball.