December 21, (THEWILL) – Patrice Motsepe, the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has predicted that an African country will make it to the World Cup final in 2026, as he looked back on the continent’s productive campaign in Qatar.
Speaking on Wednesday, the 60-year-old remarked that Morocco’s groundbreaking run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, has created a foundation for both confidence and ambition ahead of subsequent competitions.
He said: “I’m confident that in the next World Cup, an African nation will go further. The historic achievements of Morocco have made all of us in Africa uniquely proud. The future of African football is incredibly bright. If you look at the talent on the continent, there are 10-15 nations in Africa now that can compete at the highest level in the world and win.”
Out of the 54 African teams, who have participated in the competition, only Morocco has ever advanced to the semi-finals, fueled by enormous “home” support given Qatar’s proximity to North Africa. Yet, Motsepe is emboldened by the fact that Africa had previously won the Olympics through Nigeria, in 1996, and Cameroon, four years after.
Motsepe, who was in Qatar for the tournament, claimed that he was motivated by Croatia’s recent World Cup performances, a country in Europe with a population of just under four million people, that has now advanced to the semi-finals in three of its six World Cups.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
