President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Dr Patrice Motsepe, has commended Ghana and other African countries that featured at the just-ended 2026 World Cup.
At the expanded tournament, Africa had a record 10 countries, including Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Cape Verde, South Africa and DR Congo.
However, nine countries out of the 10 made it to the Round of 32, with only Tunisia exiting the tournament at the group phase, but only Egypt and Morocco played in the quarterfinals.
Addressing the media on Wednesday in Johannesburg, Motsepe said, "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.
“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.
"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.
With the World Cup now concluded, Black Stars will shift their focus towards Ghana’s next major assignment — the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The Black Stars have been drawn in Group C alongside rivals Côte d’Ivoire, Somalia, and The Gambia, with the qualification campaign scheduled to begin in September.
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