Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has praised Africa’s outstanding performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing the continent’s success as the result of sustained investment in youth development, coaching, domestic leagues and football infrastructure.
Speaking on Sunday, Motsepe said the progress made by African football was evident after nine of the continent’s 10 representatives secured places in the knockout stage of the expanded 48-team tournament being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Algeria, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Senegal and South Africa all advanced to the Round of 32, while Tunisia was the only African side eliminated after losing all three of its group matches.
“Hard work and investments in youth football, coaching, professional leagues and infrastructure in each of the 54 CAF member associations is bearing fruit,” Motsepe said.
He congratulated the football associations of the nine qualifying nations and acknowledged the support of African governments in developing the game across the continent.
Motsepe also credited improved governance, transparency and financial management within CAF for attracting new sponsors and commercial partners, which he said had contributed to the growth of African football.
“CAF wishes the nine national teams everything of the best, and we are confident they will continue to make their countries and Africa extremely proud,” he added.
Africa recorded a 90 per cent qualification rate for the knockout stage, the highest among FIFA’s six continental confederations. South America followed with an 83.3 per cent success rate, while Europe recorded 81.3 per cent.
The continent has continued to make significant strides at the World Cup since Morocco became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals in 2022 after defeating Belgium, Spain and Portugal before losing to France.
One of the biggest surprises at this year’s tournament has been Cape Verde. The island nation, which qualified ahead of Cameroon, finished runners-up in Group H after impressive performances against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to secure a historic place in the Round of 32.
Africa’s increased representation at the 2026 tournament followed FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams. The continent received nine automatic qualification spots, while the Democratic Republic of Congo secured Africa’s 10th place after defeating Jamaica in the intercontinental playoff.
