Eritrea Withdraws from 2026 World Cup Qualifiers

The International Football Federation (FIFA) announced today, Friday, that "Eritrea has withdrawn from the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup less than a week before its opening match." It indicated that "all of Eritrea's matches have been canceled." The schedule for Group Five will remain unchanged. FIFA did not announce the reason for the withdrawal. Eritrea was in Group Five, where it was scheduled to open its qualifying campaign against Morocco away next Thursday. The group qualifiers will continue with the remaining five teams, which include Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, alongside Morocco.