When will an African side win the World Cup? Morocco set the benchmark, the continent still waits

BBC Sport football correspondent Piers Edwards's dossier traced the structural shift in African football since Morocco's semi-final run in 2022, with numbers. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) said the number of top-tier training centres on the continent has risen 41% in the past three years. Senegal Football Federation president Augustin Senghor said the federation's youth-development budget has doubled since 2022.

French head coach Hervé Renard said the pool of young African players has deepened, but that squad depth in major tournaments is not yet at European levels. Algeria head coach Vladimir Petković said group-stage qualification is no longer counted as an achievement for the continent and that the target is now the quarter-finals. CAF general secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba presented a feasibility study for nine African teams at the 2026 tournament.

Nine African teams will play at the 2026 World Cup. Opta Analyst put the probability of Morocco, Senegal and Egypt reaching the quarter-finals at 18 to 22 percent each. FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced a closing-promotion tour in Casablanca. (Not investment advice.)