Cape Town, Jan 2 (IANS): Due to financial constraints, Swaziland has withdrawn from the 2013 African Nations Cup,.
The announcement came just a week before Swaziland were due to play the first leg of a preliminary round match, Xinhua reports.
Swaziland were scheduled to meet the Seychelles in a first round tie Jan 6.
Swaziland now face the possibility of being banned from the 2015 tournament and a fine being levied on them.
The qualifying competition for next year's African Nations Cup in South Africa starts less than two weeks before the 2012 finals, which are being played in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon Jan 21-Feb 14.
From next year, the biennial tournament will shift from even to odd years to avoid clashing with the World Cup.