CAF president praises African teams' historic performance at FIFA World Cup 2026
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe has lauded the performance of African national teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026, calling it a historic achievement and a sign of African football's growth. Ten African nations participated, with nine advancing from the group stage to the Round of 32, marking the highest qualification rate for African teams in World Cup history. Africa accounted for 20.8 percent of the tournament's teams but contributed 28.1 percent of the nations reaching the knockout stage. Motsepe highlighted Morocco's second consecutive quarter-final appearance and Egypt's progression to the Round of 16, also commending Cabo Verde, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, South Africa, Ghana, and Tunisia. He expressed pride in their achievements and noted that CAF has identified areas for improvement to ensure greater success in future World Cups. To build on these successes, CAF will host a conference with national team coaches, technical staff, former players, and football experts to review the 2026 performances and develop recommendations for the 2030 edition. Motsepe reaffirmed CAF's commitment to investing in football development, including youth football, coaching education, domestic leagues, and national teams, across the continent. He also emphasized the importance of improving football infrastructure, stating that every CAF member association should have stadiums meeting CAF and FIFA standards. Motsepe expressed optimism that an African nation will eventually win the FIFA
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