The national team of Eritrea will not participate in qualifying matches for the World Cup 2026. The country's government fears that the players will flee and seek political asylum, The Guardian reports.
The source claims that the national team had been preparing for the matches for three months, but at the end of October they were banned from participating.
Representatives of the Eritrean National Football Federation tried to persuade the country's Ministry of Sports and Culture to reverse its decision, but were denied.
The Eritrean national team has not played an international match since 2020. The world championship in 2026 will be held in the stadiums of Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Earlier, the forward of the national team of Argentina Lionel Messi said that he may not perform at the world Cup in 2026.
