History
An Eritrean team was invited to a friendly tournament in Sudan in 1992, the year before Eritrea achieved independence. Eritrea participated in the 1994 CECAFA Cup, organised by the Council for East and Central Africa Football Association, even though the ENFF was not founded until 1996. The first full international was in the 1998 CECAFA Cup, the year the ENFF joined the CAF and FIFA. They participated in the qualifying rounds of the 2000 African Nations Cup and the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and subsequent editions until 2008. They have also appeared intermittently in the CECAFA Cup.
In the first round of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, they were drawn against Nigeria, and were defeated 4–0 in the away leg, after a goalless draw at home. Captain of the team was Debesai Ghierghis Ogbazghi. The coach was Yilmaz Yuceturk.
In the first round of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, they were drawn against Sudan and lost the first leg 3–0, before another goalless draw in Asmara. The coach was Eritrean Tekie Abraha.
In qualification group 6 for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, under the guidance of Romanian Dorian Marin, Eritrea finished second behind Angola, failing to qualify for the final tournament. They beat Kenya twice and drew at home to Angola.
Read more about this topic: Eritrea National Football Team
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