African Football Shines at 2026 FIFA World Cup, Says CAF President Motsepe

The performances of African national teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been lauded by the President of the Confederation of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe. He described the continent's showing as a remarkable achievement that underscores the growth and increasing competitiveness of African football globally. In a statement released on the CAF website, Motsepe commended the 10 African nations that participated in the tournament, which was expanded to 48 teams. Notably, nine of these teams advanced from the group stage to the Round of 32, marking the highest qualification rate for African teams in the history of the FIFA World Cup. The African contingent at the tournament included Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia. Motsepe highlighted that despite accounting for 20.8 percent of the teams at the tournament, African nations contributed 28.1 percent of the teams that reached the knockout stage. He specifically praised Morocco's feat of reaching the quarter-finals for the second consecutive time, as well as Egypt's advancement to the Round of 16. Additionally, Motsepe commended the performances of Cabo Verde, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, South Africa, Ghana, and Tunisia. 'The African national teams achieved significant progress and successes at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 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 2026 FIFA World Cup, as this is 90 percent of the African national teams that participated, and is the highest percentage to qualify to date.' Motsepe also underscored that CAF has identified areas for improvement and is confident that African teams can build on their achievements to enjoy greater success in future FIFA 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 added. To build on these 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 2026 FIFA World Cup, to make recommendations that will ensure that the African national teams will be even more successful at the 2030 FIFA World Cup,' he said. '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 concluded.