CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe has hailed the performances of Africa's national teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing the continent's campaign as a landmark achievement that reflects the continued rise and growing competitiveness of African football on the global stage.
In a statement published on its website on Wednesday, Motsepe commended the 10 African nations that represented the continent at the expanded 48-team tournament. During the tournament, nine African teams progressed from the group stage to the Round of 32, the highest qualification rate for African teams in FIFA World Cup history.
African Representatives and Knockout Stage Success
The African representatives at the tournament were Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. According to Motsepe, Africa accounted for 20.8 per cent of the teams at the tournament but contributed 28.1 per cent of the nations that reached the knockout stage.
Motsepe specifically applauded Morocco for reaching the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals for the second consecutive tournament, while also commending Egypt for securing a place in the Round of 16. He also praised the performances of Cabo Verde, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, South Africa, Ghana and Tunisia.
Record-Breaking Qualification Rate
“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, as this is 90 per cent of the African National Teams that participated, and is the highest percentage to qualify to date.”
Motsepe also said CAF has identified key areas for improvement and is confident that African teams can build on their achievements to enjoy even greater success at 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 said.
CAF Conference to Review and Plan for 2030
To build on the 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 FIFA World Cup 2026, to make recommendations that will ensure that the African National Teams will be even more successful at the FIFA World Cup 2030,” 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.
