Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has praised the performances of African teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing the continent's campaign as a historic achievement and further evidence of the steady progress of African football on the global stage.

In a statement published on CAF's official website today, Motsepe commended the 10 African nations that qualified for the expanded 48-team tournament, highlighting their record-breaking performance. He noted that nine of the teams progressed from the group stage to the Round of 32, representing the highest qualification rate ever achieved by African nations at a FIFA World Cup.

According to Motsepe, Africa accounted for 20.8 per cent of the participating teams but produced 28.1 per cent of the countries that reached the knockout stage. He singled out Morocco for reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the second consecutive tournament, while also applauding Egypt's progression to the Round of 16.

The CAF president further commended the performances of Cabo Verde, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Ghana and Tunisia, saying their displays reflected the improving quality and depth of African football. He reaffirmed CAF's commitment to investing in football development across the continent through increased support for youth football, coaching education, domestic leagues and national teams.

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