Motsepe hails African teams at World Cup 2026 as CAF announces key plans
By Joel Masibo, July 22, 2026The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has praised the performances of Africa’s 10 representatives at the FIFA World Cup 2026, describing their campaign as another sign of the continent’s growing strength on the global stage.
He has also announced several key developments involving women’s football, future AFCON tournaments and CAF’s strategic plans.
Africa’s historic World Cup showing
The continent was represented at the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup by Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
Nine of those 10 nations successfully advanced beyond the group phase into the Round of 32, meaning 90 per cent of Africa’s participants reached the knockout rounds, the best qualification rate the continent has ever achieved at the tournament.
Although African teams accounted for 20.8 per cent of all countries competing at the World Cup, they made up 28.1 per cent of the nations that progressed from the group stage. Among all confederations, only UEFA produced a higher percentage of teams reaching the knockout rounds.
Egypt and Morocco advanced to the Round of 16, while Morocco continued making history by securing a second straight appearance in the quarter-finals. Cabo Verde, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, South Africa, Ghana and Tunisia also earned praise for their performances.
“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. The 9 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 said in a statement on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
“The previous percentages of the African National Teams to qualify to the Knockout Stage were; 40% in 2022, none in 2018 and 40% in 2014. 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. 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, with the objective of making recommendations that will ensure that the African National Teams will be even more successful at the FIFA World Cup 2030.” He added.
Bigger rewards for Women’s AFCON
CAF also confirmed a substantial rise in prize money for the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The champions will now receive USD 2 million, representing a 100 per cent increase, while the overall prize fund has grown by 67 per cent from USD 3.475 million to USD 5.8 million.
The runners-up will earn USD 750,000, while the third-placed side will also receive a larger reward. Every one of the 16 participating national teams will collect USD 150,000 in participation funding, up from USD 125,000 previously.
Since the current CAF leadership took office, the winners’ prize has risen from USD 200,000 to USD 2 million, while the tournament’s total prize fund has expanded from USD 975,000 to USD 5.8 million. The competition itself has also doubled in size, increasing from eight participating teams to 16.
AFCON 2027 preparations on course
CAF reported that planning for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be jointly staged by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda under the “PAMOJA” banner, is progressing positively.
According to the governing body, the three governments continue working closely with CAF to ensure stadiums, training venues, accommodation, transport systems, security arrangements, healthcare services, broadcasting operations, technology and other infrastructure meet the standards required to host the tournament successfully.