Eritrea's national football team: players, coach, world rankings, nickname

Eritrea's national football team: players, coach, world rankings, nickname

Ciku Njuguna
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:54 PM

The Eritrean national football team put on a stunning performance in 2019 winning the CECAFA senior challenge cup. The victory was a proud moment because the team had not taken part in CECAFA's final matches since 1994. But will the club keep up this stellar performance? Dig in to find out more about the Red Sea Camels.

Eritrea's national football team
Photo: canva.com (modified by author)
Source: UGC

Little is known about the details and facts about Eritrea's national football team. Dig in to discover more about the team's players, coach, captain, world FIFA ranking, nickname, and the latest fixtures and results.

Profile summary

  • Full name: Eritrea National Football Team
  • Nickname: Red Sea boys
  • Managed by: Eritrean National Football Federation
  • Founded: 1996
  • Colors: Red, blue and green
  • Federation: CAF
  • Coach: Alemseghed Efrem
  • Captain: Robel Teklemichael
  • FIFA ranking: 202 (as of December 2021)
  • Stadiums: Cicero

History

Eritrea national football team players
The Red Sea Camels (in green) go against Rwanda during the 2012 CECAFA tournament at the Namboole International Stadium in Kampala. Photo by STRINGER/AFP.
Source: Getty Images

Football was introduced in Eritrea during the colonial period in the 1930s. The squad's poor performance internationally has not dampened the loyalty and pride of the team's local fans. The Red Sea Camels have maintained their spirit and optimism despite the challenges facing them.

Unfortunately, the prevalence of player disappearances during international matches has increased over the years. Human Rights Concern-Eritrea and the United Nations attribute the incidences to the oppressive government regime. According to the Washington Post, about 45 players in the national football team have disappeared during international duty in recent years to seek asylum.

Eritrea national football team's AFCON 2022 campaign

The Red Sea Camels chose to stay out of the Totalenergies Africa Cup of Nations 2021 championships alongside Somalia. The North African squad is set to face off with Botswana to qualify for the AFCON 2023 championships.

Eritrea national football team players
Eritrea's finest, the Red Sea Camels celebrate during the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup match against Sudan in 2020. Photo:_@ENFFonline
Source: Twitter

Eritrea national football team's CECAFA campaign

In 2019, the Eritrean national football team made history by reaching the CECAFA semi-finals for the first time since 1994. The squad impressed fans by taking on the reigning CECAFA champion's Kenya and winning 4-1. In a post-match interview, the head coach Efrem Haile had this to say about the team's performance:

“Eritrea's football is growing and this is a step in the right direction. I can promise you that there is more to come. We are working harder with the coaches of the local clubs every day to try and build the national team,”

Eritrea's national football team fixtures and results

Here are the details of the club's latest fixtures, according to Soccerway.com.

Eritrea national football team fixtures, results
Eritrean national football team's latest fixtures and results for the 19/20 - 2021 season. Photo: Soccerway.com (modified by author)
Source: Original

Eritrea's national football team roster

The football team's coach is Alemseged Efrem. He was once a midfielder in the Eritrean national football team. Here is a profile summary of the coach:

Alemseged Efrem's profile summary

  • Full name: Alemseged Efrem
  • Date of birth: 19 November 1970
  • Age: 52 years old (as of January 2022)
  • Nationality: Eritrean
  • Appointment: 26 January 2015
  • Net worth: $1.5 million
Eritrea national football team players
Who is the best football player in Eritrea? Team captain Robel Teklemichael was voted the best player in the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup 2019 tournament. Photo:_ @ENFFonline.
Source: Twitter

Eritrea's national football team's captain Robel Teklemichael ranks high among the nation's top footballers. Here is a profile summary of the Red Sea Camel's captain.

Robel Teklemichael Bahta's profile summary

  • Full name: Robel Teklemichael Bahta
  • Date of birth: 14 July 2000
  • Age: 22 years old (as of January 2022)
  • Place of birth: Asmara, Eritrea
  • Nationality: Eritrean
  • Height in feet: 5'10"
  • Height in centimeters: 180
  • Position(s): center-back, left-back, defensive midfielder.
  • Current team: Ethiopian Coffee Addis Ababa
  • Net worth: $1 million

Eritrea's national football team's top players

Top players who have played for the Red Sea Camels include retired AIK midfielder Henok Goitom and the centre forward for Ligue 1 team PSM Makassar, Gol-Gol Mebrahtu. Have a look at the profile summary of recently retired AIK forward, Henok Goitom

Henok Goitom's profile summary

  • Full name: Henok Goitom
  • Date of birth: 22 September 1984
  • Age: 38 years old (as of January 2022)
  • Place of birth: Solna, Sweden
  • Nationality: Eritrean, Swedish
  • Height in feet: 6'2"
  • Height in centimetres: 189
  • Position(s): Centre forward
  • Net worth: $2 million

Eritrea's national football team's FIFA world ranking

According to the latest FIFA rankings, the national men's soccer team is ranked 202 with 855.56 points. In 2007, the club received its highest ranking at position 121.

Here is a list of the club's players as listed on transfermarkt.com:

Goalkeepers

  • Fahd Abdella
  • Abdulrahman Abdulahi
  • Ahmed Abdurahman
  • Kibrom Solomon

Midfielder

  • Samiyuma Alexander
  • Mewael Tesfay
  • Esay Tesfay
  • Alexander Andue
  • Nahom Awet
  • Habte Michael
  • Teklezghi Ablelom
  • Zerit Yohhanes
  • Senai Hagos
  • Mohammed Saeid
  • Christoffer Forsell
  • Abel Okray

Defence

  • Awet Nahom
  • Nahom Daniel
  • Michael Henok
  • Teklemichael Robel
  • Tumzghi Filmon
  • Zeghay Zekarias
  • Temesghen Abreha
  • Yasser Ahmeddien

Forward

  • Goitom Henok
  • Ali Suleiman
  • Ezana Kahsay
  • Daniel Alexander
Eritrea national football team players
The Eritrean squad in action during the 2021 CECAFA match against Ethiopia. Photo:_@ENFFonline.
Source: Twitter

Eritrea's national football team's trophies

The team has had to overcome many hurdles in the past but are slowly starting to show their true colors. With the training of the above mentioned coach and captain, the team can only be destined for success. Their honours include second place in 2019 at the CECAFA Senior Cup Challenge.

Eritrea's national football team made history with their impressive performances at various competitions. Will the club relive its glory? The world eagerly waits to see if the Red Sea boys will reach football stardom.

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Authors
Ciku Njuguna photo
Ciku Njuguna
Ciku Njuguna is a journalist with 3 year’s experience in content creation based in Kenya. She currently covers sports personnel as well as team biographies.