FIFA president confirms there will be at least nine African teams for the 2026 World Cup

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, stands with Inter Miami director Jorge Mas, left, during a ceremony for the team winning the Supporters’ Shield after an MLS soccer match against the New England Revolution in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (AP)

ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua): FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed on Tuesday that at least nine African teams will compete in the 2026 World Cup to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Infantino made the remarks as the 46th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) opened on Tuesday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, bringing together leaders and delegates of member associations from across Africa.

“During the 2026 World Cup, nine or ten African countries (and regions) will participate in the World Cup,” Infantino said, noting that the increase should be in line with FIFA’s expanded World Cup format. Infantino urged African countries to further invest in and unleash the potential of the continent’s young footballers.

“I encourage all of you to continue investing in youth football because those kids, those girls and boys, will be the stars of tomorrow,” he said. The President said FIFA is also considering increasing the number of African teams participating in the FIFA Women’s World Cup to six. He also noted that Morocco will host the FIFA World Cup in 2030, which would make the country the second African country ever to host the World Cup. While addressing the opening session of the General Assembly, Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie called on the CAF to support Ethiopia’s bid to host the 2029 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2029) tournament.

Atske Selassie also pointed out the need to bring the World Cup trophy to African soil, even though many players with African roots will play an important role in helping non-African countries win the prestigious football trophy. “The key to taking the sport of football to the next level and nurturing young talent lies in scaling up collective efforts. With this fundamental talent, African football can flourish and take its rightful place on the world stage,” said Atske Selassie.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe expressed his best wishes for Ethiopia’s bid to host AFCON 2029 and encouraged the Government of Ethiopia and the Football Federation to work closely to make timely decisions on the submission of the Ethiopian proposal. “We are very excited about Ethiopia’s intention to submit a proposal to host the AFCON 2029,” he added. “The success of football is what happens in Ethiopia, what happens in other parts of the continent. We are successful in some countries. In other cases we are not successful.” Former African football stars including Samuel Eto’o, Jay-Jay Okocha and El-Hadji Diouf, among others, attended the 46th CAF Ordinary General Meeting.