CAF president Motsepe assesses Africa’s overall performance at 2026 World Cup

Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe has hailed Morocco and Egypt as the continent’s standout performers at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while also commending the efforts of South Africa, Senegal, Ghana and Algeria for their impressive displays on football’s biggest stage.

Reflecting on Africa’s overall performance at the global showpiece, Motsepe said the tournament demonstrated the significant progress being made by African football, insisting the continent is edging closer to competing consistently with the world’s elite.

The CAF president praised several African representatives for their resilience, tactical discipline and ability to challenge some of the strongest teams in international football throughout the competition.

According to Motsepe, South Africa, Senegal, Ghana and Algeria all produced performances that showcased the growing strength of African football, even though their campaigns ended before the latter stages of the tournament.

“Bafana Bafana played very well; Senegal played very well, Ghana, Algeria all performed well,” Motsepe said.

However, he singled out Morocco and Egypt as the continent’s most successful teams, pointing to their achievements in the competition as evidence of Africa’s growing influence on the world stage.

“The two nations that did well based on the results are Egypt and Morocco, and the results speak for themselves,” he added.

Morocco once again enhanced its reputation as one of Africa’s football powerhouses with another remarkable World Cup campaign. The Atlas Lions defeated the Netherlands on penalties in the Round of 32 before producing a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada to reach the quarter-finals, where they eventually bowed out against France.

Egypt also enjoyed a memorable tournament, advancing to the Round of 16 after overcoming Australia in a dramatic penalty shootout. Although the Pharaohs suffered a narrow defeat to Argentina, their spirited performances earned widespread praise and reinforced their status among Africa’s leading football nations.

Motsepe believes the performances of Morocco and Egypt, coupled with the competitiveness displayed by South Africa, Senegal, Ghana and Algeria, underline the rapid development of football across the continent.

The CAF president has consistently maintained that Africa possesses the talent to produce a FIFA World Cup-winning nation and has repeatedly stressed the need for continued investment in youth development, coaching education, football infrastructure and domestic competitions.

He recently declared that CAF “will not rest” until an African country lifts the FIFA World Cup trophy, a goal he believes is becoming increasingly realistic as more African teams continue to compete on equal terms with the traditional football powers.

With Morocco and Egypt leading the way at the 2026 World Cup and several other African nations earning global respect for their performances, Motsepe believes the continent is moving steadily towards achieving its long-held dream of producing the first African world champions.