President of the Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”), Dr Patrice Motsepe
Photo: CAF
CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe has praised the performances of Africa’s national teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026, describing the continent’s campaign as a historic achievement and evidence of the steady growth of African football.
In a statement obtained from its website on Wednesday, Motsepe commended the 10 African nations that represented the continent at the expanded 48-team tournament, with nine progressing from the group stage to the Round of 32, the highest qualification rate for African teams in FIFA World Cup history.
The African representatives at the tournament were Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
According to him, Africa accounted for 20.8 per cent of the teams at the tournament but contributed 28.1 per cent of the nations that reached the knockout stage.
Motsepe singled out Morocco for reaching the quarter-finals for a second successive FIFA World Cup, while Egypt advanced to the Round of 16.
He also praised the performances of Cabo Verde, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, South Africa, Ghana and Tunisia.
“Significant progress and successes were achieved by the African National Teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and I am very proud of their performances,” Motsepe said.
“The nine African National Teams that qualified from the Group Stage to the Round of 32 made history at the FIFA World Cup 2026, as this is 90 per cent of the African National Teams that participated, and is the highest percentage to qualify to date.”
Motsepe said CAF had already identified areas where improvements could be made and believes the continent’s teams can achieve even greater success at future World Cups.
“We have also identified specific areas where there is room for improvement and I am confident that the coaches, technical teams and players will implement the necessary improvements. This will ensure even greater successes for African National Teams in future FIFA World Cups,” he said.
To build on the achievements, Motsepe announced that CAF will convene a conference involving national team coaches, technical staff, former players and football experts to review Africa’s performances at the 2026 World Cup and develop recommendations ahead of the 2030 edition.
“CAF will be hosting a conference and will invite the National Team coaches, technical teams, former African National Team players and other football experts and stakeholders to evaluate and assess the performances of the African National Teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026, to make recommendations that will ensure that the African National Teams will be even more successful at the FIFA World Cup 2030,” he said.
Motsepe reaffirmed CAF’s commitment to investing in football development across the continent, including youth football, coaching education, domestic leagues and national teams.
“We will continue to train and invest in our boys and girls football players, amateur football, professional football leagues and our National Teams in each of the 54 African countries to make African football globally competitive and amongst the best in the world,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of improving football infrastructure across Africa, saying every CAF member association should have stadiums that meet CAF and FIFA standards.
“Every National Team and Football Club must play its matches in their country and in front of their local supporters and fans. It is essential that in each of our 54 Member Association Countries there is a stadium that is at the requisite CAF and FIFA level,” Motsepe said.
Expressing optimism about the future, the CAF president said the organisation remains committed to making African football one of the strongest in the world.
“CAF is making enormous progress in developing and growing men and women football in Africa and making it amongst the best in the world. We remain confident that an African nation will be Champions of the FIFA World Cup,” he added.
Gilbert Ekugbe is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over a decade of experience reporting on business and economic affairs. He covers markets, corporate developments, finance, and Nigeria’s broader economic landscape. His reporting is informed by extensive newsroom experience and a strong commitment to accuracy and responsible journalism, helping readers understand complex business issues.
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