Eritrea: Seven players go missing in South Africa after qualifying for Africa Cup of Nations group stage

Seven players from the Eritrean national football team have disappeared in South Africa after helping their team qualify for the group stage of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The number of players who did not return to their home country after the second leg of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations preliminary qualifiers—where Eritrea clinched a 2-1 victory over Eswatini—stands at seven. Only three of the ten locally-based players made the trip back: Ablum Teklezgi, Nahom Tadesse, and Rommel Abdu.
The reasons behind the disappearance of the seven players remain unclear. According to the newspaper Micky Jnr , this appears to be a "defection," with the players refusing to return home.

This is not the first time the "Red Sea Boys" have faced such a situation. Since 2006, several players from the national team of this East African nation have failed to return home after overseas assignments.