LAST MONTH Ethiopia’s national football team, The Walias, qualified for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), following an eight-year absence and the entire nation is jubilant.
A goalless draw between Niger and Madagascar helped Ethiopia to qualify in its group match finishing in second place. Cote d’Ivoire topped the group with Madagascar and Niger finishing third and fourth.
The news was greeted with jubilation across the country. In Addis Ababa, residents took to the streets in jubilation with their flags and honked their horns.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Demeke Mekonnen, congratulated the national team for their historic achievement in messages on their social media accounts.
Ethiopia’s coach, Wobetu Abate, is now looking forward to going to Cameroon, where AFCON will be hosted. He said: “Our people absolutely love football, and we have achieved our Africa Cup of Nations dream to make them happy. Ethiopians deserve this.
“Now our focus is to build on our team. We will prepare well for the upcoming AFCON as well as the World Cup qualifiers in June,” he added. Ethiopia will face South Africa, Ghana and Zimbabwe in Group G of the journey to FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022.
Ethiopia has a rich footballing tradition in Africa and were one of the founding participants of the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations tournament in 1957, together with Sudan and Egypt. The Walias has been representing Ethiopia in regional, continental, and international competitions since its founding in 1943 and won the African Cup of Nations in 1962 on home soil.
A total of 24 teams will take part in the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by Cameroon in January 2022. This will be Ethiopia’s 11th appearance at Africa’s most prestigious football tournament.
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