Ethiopia may not be classified as part of the best African football nations in the 21st century but the Walia Antelopes were one of the biggest soccer teams during the formative years of African football.
The Walia Antelopes take on the Black Stars on Friday at the Cape Coast stadium during the opening day of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification of the CAF Zone.
Ethiopia have played at just one tournament at the Africa Cup of Nations out of the last 19 editions. That participation was the 2013 tournament in South Africa where they left the competition at the end of group play without winning a single game.
Golden year
In 1962 the Ethiopians hosted and won the AFCON by defeating Egypt 4-2 in the final match. That remains their best ever achievement till date as the likes of Girma Tekle, Italo Vassalo, Mengistu Worku, Mohammed Awad became national heroes.
However they have qualified for the next edition of the AFCON to be staged in Cameroon to show that they have started to rise and so the Black Stars must not be complacent in facing a minnow.
In terms of the FIFA World Cup, Ethiopia have never qualified to play at the Mondiale – Ghana has done that three times.
Currently they are ranked 137th in the world (40th in Africa) by FIFA as against Ghana who are ranked 7th in Africa and 52nd in the world.
