FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed on Tuesday that at least nine African teams will compete in the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Infantino made this announcement during the opening of the 46th Confederation of African Football (CAF) Ordinary General Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where leaders and delegates from member associations across Africa gathered. “In World Cup 2026, there will be nine or 10 African countries (and regions) participating in the World Cup,” stated Infantino.
- FIFA is considering increasing the number of African teams participating in the FIFA Women’s World Cup to six.
- Morocco is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030, becoming the second African nation to do so after South Africa.
- Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie appealed to CAF to endorse Ethiopia’s bid to host the 2029 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2029) tournament.
- Atske Selassie emphasized the importance of bringing the World Cup trophy to African soil, noting that many players with African roots have contributed to the victories of non-African nations.
- He stated, “The key to elevating the football sport and nurturing young talent lies in the scaling up of the collective efforts.”
- Atske Selassie concluded that with foundational talent in place, African football can thrive and secure its rightful place on the global stage.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe expressed his best wishes for Ethiopia’s bid to host AFCON 2029, urging the Ethiopian government and the football federation to collaborate closely to ensure timely decisions on the proposal submission. “We are very excited about the intention of Ethiopia to submit a proposal to host the AFCON 2029,” Motsepe stated. He emphasized that “the success of football is what happens in Ethiopia, what happens in other parts of the continent. We are successful in some countries. In others, we are not successful,” he added.The 46th CAF Ordinary General Assembly was attended by former African football stars, including Samuel Eto’o, Jay-Jay Okocha, and El-Hadji Diouf, among others.
