Antoine Semenyo: Cape Verde’s World Cup breakthrough was no surprise to African players

Ghana and Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo says Cape Verde’s impressive run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup did not surprise African players who had previously faced the island nation.

Cape Verde emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest surprise packages, advancing beyond the group stage as part of a historic World Cup campaign for African football.

Nine of the 10 African nations at the tournament progressed to the knockout stages, while Morocco advanced as far as the quarter-finals.

However, Semenyo believes Cape Verde’s performances were simply a continuation of the quality he had already witnessed from the team on the continental stage.

The 26-year-old recalled Ghana’s meeting with Cape Verde at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, saying the Blue Sharks immediately impressed him.

“We played against them in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2022. I remember coming off that game thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is one of the best African teams I’ve played.’ They were so, so good. So this wasn’t any news to us, but obviously to the world it was,” Semenyo said in an interview with CNN Sports during Manchester City’s pre-season tour at the Hong Kong Football Festival.

Cape Verde’s historic campaign formed part of a remarkable tournament for Africa, with the continent’s leading teams demonstrating their ability to compete against some of the world’s strongest football nations.

Semenyo believes the performances at the 2026 World Cup are evidence of the rapid progress being made by African football and could help reshape perceptions of the continent’s teams.

“It shows African football is evolving. It shows the world we’re competing at the highest levels. Long may it continue,” he added.

With nine African nations reaching the knockout stage, the 2026 World Cup marked one of the continent’s strongest collective performances at the global showpiece.

For Semenyo, Cape Verde’s breakthrough was therefore not an unexpected development, but rather further confirmation of the growing strength of African football.

The Ghana forward believes the continent must now build on the progress made in 2026 as African teams continue to challenge the traditional powers of the international game.