The transformation of African football at the World Cup has been nothing short of meteoric.
The report indicates that the transformation of African football at the World Cup has been nothing short of meteoric.
It further notes that at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, not one of Africa’s five teams made it out of the group stage, recording just three wins out of a possible 15.
Fast forward to the 2026 World Cup and Africa will be held up as vindication of Gianni Infantino’s expansion project.
Of the 10 African teams, all but one made it through the group stage.
Only Tunisia failed to progress, with Cape Verde, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Morocco and South Africa runners-up and Algeria, DR Congo, Ghana and Senegal through in third place.
It is a very different story for Asia, with only two of its nine countries advancing past the group stage.
For Africa it is cause for celebration, while Asia is left to reflect on failure.
Infantino’s revamp of the World Cup had been rubber-stamped well before the 2018 World Cup.
So when Africa performed so poorly in Russia, the justification for giving the continent another four places appeared weak.
Eight years on, such concerns have been completely banished.
It is a remarkable turnaround in fortunes, partly inspired by the long-term commitment by the Moroccan FA.
Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Patrice Motsepe puts it down to the “hard work and investments in youth football development, coaching and professional football leagues” across the continent.
The first signs of improvement came in Qatar four years ago, as two African nations reached the knockout stage for the first time.
Before the 2022 World Cup, only three African teams had reached the quarter-finals – Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010.
