Some of the leading football minds behind Africa’s historic showing at the FIFA World Cup 2026 have been confirmed for a high-level Technical Review Panel at the CAF Strategy Conference in Sal, Cabo Verde this week.
Mohamed Ouahbi, Pedro Brito “Bubista”, Hossam Hassan, Sébastien Desabre and Carlos Queirozwill join Arsene Wenger to review Africa’s performances at the global finals and share first-hand lessons from a tournament in which a record 10 African nations participated and nine progressed to the knockout stages.
The panel will form part of the CAF Strategy Conference from 7-9 October 2026, which will bring together coaches from CAF’s 54 Member Associations, football leaders, legends and technical experts to discuss the future development and global competitiveness of African football.
The speakers bring together a wide range of international coaching and technical experience.
Arsène Wenger, FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, will provide a broader global perspective after guiding FIFA’s Technical Study Group during the FIFA World Cup 2026. The TSG analysed all 104 matches and examined the tactical and technical trends that shaped the tournament.
Mohamed Ouahbiwill bring the experience of guiding Morocco to the quarter-finals as the Atlas Lions continued their emergence as one of the leading national teams in world football.
Former Cabo Verde coach Pedro Brito “Bubista” will return to his home country to share the story behind one of the tournament’s most remarkable campaigns, having led Cabo Verde to their first FIFA World Cup and into the knockout stages.
Hossam Hassan, one of the most celebrated figures in Egyptian football, will offer insight into Egypt’s historic campaign after leading the Pharaohs to their first FIFA World Cup victory and into the knockout rounds.
Sébastien Desabrewill reflect on the journey that took DR Congo back to the World Cup after a 52-year absence and into the Round of 32, completing a remarkable revival for the Leopards.
Carlos Queiroz, who led Ghana at the tournament, will also take part in the panel and share the experience gained from another World Cup campaign in a coaching career that has spanned several continents and national teams.
The discussion will give participants an opportunity to hear directly from coaches who worked at the highest level of international football in 2026.
Among the areas expected to feature are tactical trends, tournament preparation, squad management, coaching leadership, player development, adaptation during matches and the demands of competing consistently against the world’s strongest national teams.
For CAF, the panel is intended to go beyond reviewing results.
The experiences of the speakers will feed into a wider conversation about how the lessons from 2026 can be transferred across CAF’s 54 Member Associations and contribute to stronger coaching structures, better preparation and more competitive African national teams ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2030.
The session is expected to be one of the major technical highlights of the CAF Strategy Conference as Africa reflects on its strongest collective World Cup showing and begins planning the next phase of its development.
