ISTANBUL / Ahmed Hassan / Anadolu

President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), South African Patrice Motsepe, expressed on Wednesday his pride in the performance of African teams in the 2026 World Cup finals, after 9 out of 10 teams qualified for the knockout stages.

Motsepe said during a press conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa: "African national teams have made great progress and achievements in the 2026 World Cup, and I am very proud of their performance."

He added: "The nine teams that advanced from the group stage to the round of 32 made history in the 2026 World Cup, as they represent 90 percent of the participating African teams, the highest qualification rate the continent has achieved in the history of the tournament."

He continued: "The qualification rate of African teams to the knockout stages was 40 percent in the 2022 edition, no team qualified in the 2018 edition, and the rate was also 40 percent in the 2014 edition."

Motsepe affirmed that there are plans to develop the level of African teams in the future, saying: "We have identified a number of aspects that still need improvement, and I am confident that the coaches, technical staff, and players will work on implementing the necessary steps."

He added: "This will ensure greater successes for African teams in future World Cup editions."

He announced that CAF will hold a conference bringing together national team coaches, experts, and stakeholders in football to evaluate the performance of African teams in the 2026 World Cup and come up with recommendations that contribute to enhancing their chances of success in the 2030 World Cup.

He said: "We will continue to invest in our male and female players, in amateur football, professional leagues, and our national teams in the 54 African countries, in order to make African football more competitive and among the best globally."

The CAF president stressed the need for each national association to have a stadium accredited by the African (CAF) and International (FIFA) federations to host matches, announcing the expansion of partnerships with governments and the private sector to develop infrastructure in all member countries.

On another front, CAF announced raising the prize for the winner of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations by 100 percent to reach $2 million, and increasing the total prizes for the tournament from $3.475 million to $5.8 million, an increase of 67 percent, in addition to raising the participation grant for each team to $150,000.

Regarding continental tournaments, Motsepe affirmed the continuation of preparations in cooperation with Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, and also announced the official opening of the bidding process to host the 2028, 2032, and 2036 editions.