Eritrea have been included in the preliminary qualifying round draw for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) despite being unranked by world governing body Fifa.

The East Africans, who have only played two international games since February 2020, have been drawn against Eswatini.

Eritrea withdrew from the same stage of qualifiers for the 2023 Afcon, and were excluded from the draw for the 2025 edition.

The national team also pulled out of qualifying for the 2026 Fifa World Cup just a week before they were due to play their first game against the continent’s top-ranked side Morocco.

The draw for the 2027 preliminary round was made in Rabat a day before the semi-finals of the 2025 tournament, where hosts Morocco will face Nigeria and Senegal will take on Egypt.

Elsewhere, 1962 champions Ethiopia were drawn against Sao Tome e Principe and Burundi were paired with Chad.

The two-legged ties will take place in March, with the six winners joining the 42 highest-ranked sides on the continent in the main group stage of qualifiers.

The dates for both the 2027 Afcon qualifiers and the tournament itself in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are yet to be announced by the Confederation of African Football.