Former Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf expressed strong confidence in Africa’s chances to win the 2026 World Cup, sharing the belief of CAF president Patrick Motsepe. "The 2026 World Cup – Africa is going there to win the tournament," Diouf said, highlighting stars like Sadio Mané, Idrissa Gueye and Edouard Mendy as capable of matching the best in the world [1].
Motsepe, 64, also expressed optimism about the continent’s teams in the event co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. "We are confident that the 10 African national teams at the 2026 World Cup will make us proud and that an African nation will be champions," he said. He credited Morocco’s 2022 Qatar World Cup semi-final run with changing perceptions by showing that Africa can compete with the world’s best [1].
In contrast, Nigerian legend Jay-Jay Okocha voiced concern about Africa’s chances to go all the way next year. He pointed out the rapid progress of teams from North America and Asia and was cautious about Africa’s prospects despite its talent pool. "I will be very happy to be proven wrong," Okocha said, adding that African sides have shocked the world before [1].
Morocco made history in 2022 by reaching the semi-finals, achieving wins over Spain and Portugal before losing to France. The run boosted hopes for African football’s progress on the global stage [1, 2, 3]. Senegal and Morocco are widely regarded as the strongest African qualifiers among the ten teams set to compete in 2026 [1, 2, 3].
Senegal’s momentum was clouded in 2025 when it defeated Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final but later saw the result overturned by CAF after the Senegalese team staged a temporary walk-off to protest a penalty decision. Senegal has appealed the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [1, 2, 3].
The 2026 World Cup will be held across the United States, Canada and Mexico with a record 48 nations competing, marking the first time the tournament expands from 32 teams. Africa will field a record 10 teams at the event, increasing its representation and chances to contend on the world stage [1, 2, 3].
The tournament is scheduled to start by July 19, 2026, where the African teams will have an opportunity to test themselves against the top football nations from around the world.