Ghana and other African countries performed well at 2026 World Cup - CAF boss Patrice Motsepe
Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Dr Patrice Motsepe has praised Ghana and the other African nations that participated in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing the continent's performances as a historic milestone for African football.
Africa was represented by a record 10 nations at the expanded global tournament, with Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Cape Verde, South Africa, and DR Congo all earning places at the finals.
The continent enjoyed its most successful World Cup campaign to date, with nine of the 10 representatives advancing to the Round of 32. Tunisia were the only African side to exit at the group stage, while Egypt and Morocco progressed to the quarterfinals.
Speaking at a press conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Motsepe commended the performances of several African teams, highlighting Ghana among those that impressed during the tournament.
"Bafana Bafana played very well; Senegal played very well, Ghana, Algeria all performed well. The two nations that did well based on the results are Egypt and Morocco, and the results speak for themselves.
The CAF President expressed pride in the overall showing of Africa's representatives, noting that the qualification of nine teams to the knockout stages marked an unprecedented achievement.
“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% of the African National Teams that participated, and is the highest percentage to qualify to date.
Motsepe also compared the continent's latest achievement with previous World Cup campaigns, pointing out the remarkable improvement in qualification rates.
"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," he added.
Following their encouraging World Cup campaign, the Black Stars will now turn their attention to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Ghana have been drawn in Group C alongside regional rivals Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia, and The Gambia, with the qualification campaign set to commence in September as the four-time African champions begin their quest for a place at the continental tournament.