Confederation of African Football President, Patrice Motsepe, says the 2026 FIFA World Cup is not complete without Nigeria and Cameroon.
He spoke on Wednesday during a global press conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. He reviewed how African teams performed at the tournament.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles did not qualify for the World Cup. This is their second straight time missing the global event, after also missing the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Eric Chelle’s team finished second behind South Africa in Group C of the CAF qualifiers. They managed to beat Gabon in a playoff semi-final.
But their hope of qualifying ended in the final playoff round. They lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
The Nigeria Football Federation challenged the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eligibility for the match. They claimed that ineligible players were used, but their appeal was dismissed.
Nigeria has now dropped to fourth place among African countries in the latest FIFA rankings. They are behind Morocco, Senegal, and Egypt, but they still hold their 26th spot globally.
FIFA mentioned that Nigeria’s return to the World Cup in 2030 will depend less on talent and more on creating a stable system that can produce consistent results.
Motsepe told reporters that Nigeria and Cameroon’s absence left a gap that no other nation could fill.
“I’m very proud of Nigeria, Cameroon. I can say the same about every one of the 54 nations. Nigeria didn’t make it now.
“And I keep telling my Nigerian friends, a World Cup for me without Nigeria, without Cameroon and many others, is incomplete because Nigeria has always made us proud.”
The CAF president said this setback will not lessen his faith in Nigerian football. He believes the country is still one of the biggest talent producers on the continent.
“How many superstars are there? Not here, Nigeria, everywhere. Many, many outstanding young players,” he said.
Motsepe also spoke about the unity that the Super Eagles bring. He remembered an experience from his visit to Nigeria.
“When I went to Nigeria, I was told when the national team plays, there’s nobody from the north, there’s nobody from the south. We’re all Nigerians. There’s no Christian, there’s no Muslim. We are all Nigerians,” he said.
When asked if the World Cup had strengthened his belief in CAF’s competition structures, Motsepe said the continent’s clubs and national teams are being prepared well for global football.
He pointed to Cape Verde’s success at the tournament and Egypt’s performance against Argentina as evidence of Africa’s growing competitiveness.
“Nigeria has got some of the best players not just in Africa but in the world, and I’m confident Nigeria will continue to make us proud as they did in the past, same Cameroon and same Bafana Bafana,” he said.
Motsepe revealed that CAF’s general assembly will take place in Abuja in November. He described Nigeria as a proud football nation.
“There’s a reason why I took it to Nigeria,” he said, but he did not explain further.
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