The President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, has expressed strong confidence in Africa’s chances at the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the continent will be represented by an unprecedented ten nations.
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In a statement released on Wednesday, CAF reaffirmed its pride in the countries that have secured qualification for the global tournament, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The 2026 edition marks a historic milestone for African football, as it will be the first time the continent fields ten teams at the World Cup, following the competition’s expansion to 48 nations.
Motsepe hailed the achievement as a testament to the rapid growth and rising global competitiveness of African football.
“CAF and African football are proud of the 10 countries that will be representing the African continent at the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Motsepe said.
“It is the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup that Africa is represented by 10 countries. This is a recognition of the substantial growth and global competitiveness of African football.”
The CAF President added that expectations are high for the continent’s representatives, expressing belief that Africa could produce a World Cup winner in the near future.
“We are confident that the African national teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026 will make us proud and that an African nation will be champions of the FIFA World Cup.”
Motsepe also congratulated Democratic Republic of Congo for securing the final qualification spot after a decisive victory over Jamaica in the playoffs.
Africa’s increased representation comes on the back of consistent progress on the global stage, highlighted by Morocco’s historic semi-final finish at the 2022 tournament in Qatar—the best-ever performance by an African nation.
With ten teams set to compete, hopes are high that Africa can break new ground and potentially reach, or even surpass, the final at the 2026 global showpiece.
