Eritrea’s withdrawal from the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Morocco was due to the Eritrean government’s concerns about players potentially fleeing during their visit to Morocco or seeking political asylum, a report by The Guardian revealed.
Sources close to the Eritrean national team told The Guardian that the decision to withdraw came from government sources, fearing the potential escape of Eritrean players during their stay in Morocco for the Agadir match.
FIFA, in a brief statement, confirmed Eritrea’s withdrawal from the 2026 World Cup qualifier, which was scheduled for Thursday.
The Guardian noted that since 2009, over 60 players from Eritrea leveraged their international status to seek asylum.