CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe has praised Africa’s national teams for their performance at the FIFA World Cup 2026. He called the continent’s efforts a historic achievement and a sign of the steady growth of African football.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Motsepe highlighted the 10 African nations that played in the expanded 48-team tournament. Notably, nine of them moved from the group stage to the Round of 32. This is the highest qualification rate for African teams in FIFA World Cup history.
The African teams at the tournament included Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia.
Motsepe mentioned that Africa made up 20.8 percent of the teams at the tournament but contributed 28.1 percent of the nations that reached the knockout stage.
He specifically praised Morocco for reaching the quarter-finals for the second World Cup in a row. Egypt also made it to the Round of 16. Motsepe did not forget to commend the efforts 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. This is 90 percent of the African National Teams that participated, and it is the highest percentage to qualify to date.”
Motsepe noted that CAF has already spotted areas for improvement. He believes that African teams can do even better in future World Cups.
“We have also identified specific areas where there is room for improvement. 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 this success, Motsepe announced that CAF will hold a conference. This will involve national team coaches, technical staff, former players, and football experts to review Africa’s performance at the 2026 World Cup and make recommendations for 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 the performances of the African National Teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026. We will make recommendations to 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 Africa. This includes 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. This is to make African football globally competitive and among the best in the world,” he said.
He also emphasized the need to improve football infrastructure in Africa. He stated that 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 meets the required CAF and FIFA level,” Motsepe said.
Looking forward, the CAF president expressed optimism about the future. He believes the organization is 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 among the best in the world. We remain confident that an African nation will be Champions of the FIFA World Cup,” he added.
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