Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Patrice Motsepe has demanded that Africa must finally win the FIFA World Cup, insisting the continent has the talent to conquer football’s biggest stage.
Motsepe made the declaration on Thursday, October 8, 2026, when he spoke at the CAF Strategy Meeting in Santa Maria, Cape Verde.
“We know how good we are and the world has seen how good we are. Africa knows how good we are. But we have to win the World Cup,” he said.
The CAF Strategy Conference is being held from October 7 to 9 on Cape Verde’s Sal Island.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who also addressed the meeting, hailed what he described as the evolution of African football over the past decade, noting that the continent’s talent is increasingly shaping world football.
“African talent, dear friends, has shaped and is shaping more and more the world of football, and we have to provide the opportunities for these talents to shine on the global stage,” Infantino said.
Infantino revealed that FIFA has invested $1 billion in 124 projects across Africa through its FIFA Forward programme.
Motsepe also used the platform to throw his weight behind Infantino’s re-election bid, pledging to support and stand by the FIFA chief despite backlash over a failed plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors.
“Our partnership with Gianni Infantino, our history with Gianni Infantino, has been based on where we come from, but also on our belief that every person has the right to be heard,” Motsepe said.
The controversial investment proposal sparked threats of boycott from European football associations and led to the resignation of Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro in July, who described the scheme as a “bad deal” for football.
Without directly addressing the row, Infantino said FIFA welcomed concerns with “open arms” and wants member associations to have a say on the future of the game.
“We need to continue together on this path, because it is up to you, the member associations of CAF that are also members associations of FIFA, to tell us what you want to do, how you want to continue, and how we can make you stronger and better,” he stated.
“Football belongs to everyone. Everyone and everywhere. And we have to find the opportunities and the resources for this to become a reality,” he added.
Motsepe further insisted that governance, ethics, transparency and due process were “a matter of life and death” for him, taking a swipe at past CAF leadership, and challenged anyone with allegations against himself or Infantino to report to FIFA’s Ethics Committee.
Credit: Viory
