Former stars differ on whether African team can win 2026 World Cup
Morocco striker Brahim Diaz (L) heads the ball past Senegal captain Sadio Mane during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat. (Abdel Majid BZIOUAT) Former Senegal star El Hadji Diouf shares the belief of CAF president Patrick Motsepe that an African team can win the 2026 World Cup, but Nigeria great Jay-Jay Okocha is unsure. Morocco stunned Spain and Portugal en route to the semi-finals at the last global showpiece in Qatar four years ago before falling to France.
Now, as the United States, Canada and Mexico prepare to co-host a record 48 nations, the football world wonders whether Africa can go even further, or was 2022 a flash in the pan? "Why not? ," responded ex-Liverpool striker Diouf when asked by AFP if an African captain could lift the trophy near New York on July 19.
"Take my own country. We have amazing players like Sadio (Mane), Idrissa (Gueye) and Edouard (Mendy). "They can match stars from any country.
The 2026 World Cup -- Africa is going there to win the tournament. " Motsepe, a 64-year-old South African billionaire transformed from chairman of 2016 African club champions Mamelodi Sundowns to boss of CAF, echoes the views of Diouf. "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.
"What we lacked in the past was self belief. Morocco changed that in Qatar four years ago. We can match the best in the world.