Eritrea has withdrawn from the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, just six days before their scheduled first group fixture.

The East African nation, which is unranked, was slated to play against Morocco on November 16.

However, Eritrea's withdrawal means that Group E will now consist of five remaining teams: Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, and Niger.

FIFA, the world governing body for football, officially confirmed Eritrea's withdrawal, stating that all of the country's matches in the qualifiers have been canceled.

The withdrawal comes as a significant development, impacting the dynamics of Group E, where the winner automatically qualifies for the 2026 World Cup finals, set to be held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Eritrea's last international match was a friendly against Sudan in January 2020, and their most recent competitive game was in September 2019 as part of the qualifying process for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Last year, Eritrea also withdrew from qualifying for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, granting their opponents Botswana a bye to the group stage.