Johannesburg: Africa football boss Patrice Motsepe said yesterday that hard work and investment in youth, coaching and infrastructure had paid off at the 2026 World Cup.
Nine of the 10 African qualifiers for the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico have reached the knockout phase.
Algeria, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast Morocco, Senegal and South Africa will feature in the round of 32. Only Tunisia missed out, losing all three matches.
“Hard work and investments in youth football, coaching, professional leagues and infrastructure in each of the 54 CAF member associations is bearing fruit,” said CAF president Motsepe.
“I congratulate the nine CAF member association presidents and their executive committees and thank the African governments for their co-operation and support.
Africa achieved 90% success in qualifying for the second round -- the highest figure among the six FIFA continental regions. South America (83.33%) was second and Europe (81.25%) third.
