AFCON 2025
CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe has praised the performances of Africa’s representatives at the FIFA World Cup 2026, describing the continent’s campaign as a historic success while unveiling a series of major initiatives aimed at accelerating the growth of African football.
Speaking in a statement released on Wednesday, Motsepe said he was proud of the achievements of the 10 African nations that featured at the expanded 48-team tournament.
Africa was represented by Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia, with nine of the 10 teams progressing from the group stage to the Round of 32.
According to CAF, the 90 percent qualification rate is the highest ever achieved by African nations at a FIFA World Cup. Although Africa accounted for just 20.8 percent of the participating teams, it made up 28.1 percent of the nations that reached the knockout stage, second only to UEFA.
Egypt and Morocco advanced to the Round of 16, while Morocco continued its impressive rise by reaching the quarter-finals for the second consecutive World Cup. Cabo Verde, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, South Africa, Ghana and Tunisia were also commended for their performances.
Motsepe revealed that CAF will organise a technical conference involving national team coaches, former players and football experts to review Africa’s World Cup campaign and develop strategies ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
He also reaffirmed CAF’s commitment to investing in coaching education, youth development, domestic leagues and football infrastructure across its 54 member associations.
“We remain confident that an African nation will be champions of the FIFA World Cup,” Motsepe said.
CAF also announced a significant increase in prize money for the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The winners will now receive $2 million, a 100 percent increase from the previous edition, while the tournament’s total prize fund has risen by 67 percent from $3.475 million to $5.8 million.
The runners-up will earn $750,000, third-place finishers will receive a 43 percent increase, and each of the 16 participating teams will be guaranteed $150,000 in participation funding.
Since the current CAF leadership took office, the winners’ prize has increased from $200,000 to $2 million, while the competition has expanded from eight to 16 teams.
Elsewhere, CAF confirmed that preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda under the PAMOJA banner, are progressing well, with the three governments working closely with CAF on infrastructure and logistics.
The continental body also announced that bidding is underway for the hosting rights of the 2028, 2032 and 2036 AFCON tournaments, while inviting commercial partners to tender for the competitions’ commercial rights.
Finally, CAF confirmed that its 48th Ordinary General Assembly will be held in Abuja, Nigeria, on November 21, 2026, thanking the Nigerian government and the Nigeria Football Federation for their support in hosting the event.
