Ethiopia can play international fixtures at home for the first time in five years after the Confederation of African Football approved the use of its Dire Dawa Stadium on Monday. The East African country of 130 million people has been forced to play matches abroad since 2021 after Caf declared that all three of its main stadiums -- in Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar and Dire Dawa -- failed to meet international standards. From now, Dire Dawa international stadium will be able to host matches of the national team," the EFF said on its website. "This modern stadium was built through cooperation between Dire Dawa city administration and the Ethiopian Football Federation, and it is prepared to serve national and international competitions." Ethiopia, which hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in 1976, finished fifth in group A of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, securing just nine points from 10 matches.

Source: Ethiopian News March 02, 2026 15:50 UTC