The CAF Strategic Conference in Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cape Verde, entered its final day. Discussions focused on African teams' best-ever performance at the 2026 World Cup and the improvements needed to contend for the 2030 World Cup title.
CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe and FIFA President Gianni Infantino delivered opening remarks, followed by a detailed technical and tactical analysis of African teams' World Cup performance by Arsène Wenger, FIFA Chief of Global Football Development; Otto Addo, a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group; and Arron Ackerman, Head of FIFA's Football Performance Analysis team.
The analysis revealed that 9 out of 10 participating African teams advanced to the knockout stages, giving CAF the highest group-stage progression rate among all confederations. However, African teams still showed gaps compared to top tournament teams in creating chances, counter-pressing after losing possession, committing players into the penalty area, and managing the final stages of matches. After the technical and tactical discussions, the conference featured a coaching panel moderated by former Ghana international Anthony Baffoe, with participating coaches including Mohamed Wahbi, Sébastien Desabre, and former Cape Verde coach Bubista. The conference aimed to translate lessons from the 2026 World Cup into concrete actions for 2030. Here are the key statements from the third day of the conference.
CAF President's Speech
CAF President Motsepe reiterated that African football's ultimate goal is for African teams to truly challenge for the World Cup title after making progress at the 2026 World Cup.
Motsepe stated: "I want to tell you, having seen the performance of our teams, I believe that an African nation will become world champions. The first discussion was about how to improve our work, and the second was about how to increase our opportunities. I really want to thank everyone present, thank the coaches who made us so proud, and thank the legendary players who are here."
Infantino's Speech
FIFA President Gianni Infantino's opening remarks focused on Africa's growing influence on global football and the importance of clarifying next steps through strategic exchange events like this conference.
Infantino stated: "Africa and African football talent have shaped football in the past and continue to shape it today. From the recently concluded World Cup, we can see the progress that has been made. The most important thing now is what to do next."
Commenting on the significance of CAF bringing together football administrators and technical experts to analyze these improvements, Infantino said: "Such meetings clearly have very important significance: everyone gathers, listens to each other, and clarifies how to continue improving."
Wenger's Speech
Arsène Wenger, FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, stated that improved tactical discipline and organization were among the main reasons nine African teams advanced from their groups.
Wenger said: "In the past, African teams sometimes lost because their formations weren't compact enough, there was too much space between the lines, and they couldn't maintain focus consistently. In this World Cup, it was difficult to beat any African team because their discipline and organization reached top levels."
However, the former Arsenal manager noted that even after reaching the knockout stages, relatively small technical and tactical differences still decided match outcomes.
Wenger stated: "We are very close, but even a small gap can make you lose a match. Most of these matches were lost by a single goal, so in modern football, every detail is crucial."
Wenger also highlighted offensive efficiency as an area African teams need to prioritize.
Wenger stated: "Africa has made an excellent step forward, but it needs to take another step. We want to see an African team win the World Cup, and the data shows that this is achievable."
Wenger concluded by cautioning against measuring football development solely by data.
Wenger stated: "Data doesn't lie, but football is not just about data; it also includes attitude, psychological quality, unity, and your value system. These are all aspects you need to continue working on."
FIFA Technical Study Group Member's Speech
Otto Addo was involved in the FIFA Technical Study Group throughout the World Cup. He stated that statistics supported what technical experts observed during matches.
Addo stated: "It's very interesting that our views are supported by statistical data. We discussed many topics and had different opinions, and now we can present some of these findings. Most African teams have the potential and physical condition to press higher, play more courageously, and win back the ball in more advanced positions. Morocco has proven that this is achievable.
In this regard, Morocco is an example. It's truly impressive to see them able to suppress a team like Brazil. I believe other African teams have the same potential."
Speaking about off-the-ball movement in attack, Addo said teams need players willing to repeatedly run into dangerous areas even if they don't immediately receive the ball.
Addo stated: "Sometimes, you run 10 times without getting the ball, but maybe on the 11th time, you will. You need such players, players who constantly enter the penalty area."
Arron Ackerman, Head of FIFA's Football Performance Analysis team, presented data showcasing the progress of African teams.
Arron Ackerman stated: "Nine out of 10 African teams advanced from their groups, which is the highest progression rate among all confederations in this World Cup. This is an extraordinary achievement. Some might say this is due to the expanded tournament, but from a statistical perspective, this explanation doesn't fairly reflect the actual situation. Nine out of 10 teams advancing is an extraordinary achievement. The message is clear: get into the box, win the ball back quicker in more advanced positions, and keep what's already working."
Summarizing FIFA's technical and tactical analysis, Arron Ackerman stated: "No one can question that Africa has established itself on the World Cup stage. The next question is: Can African teams get into the box and score goals?"
Panel moderator Anthony Baffoe shifted the discussion from FIFA's data analysis to coaches who experienced the World Cup firsthand.
Baffoe stated: "We've seen a lot of data and heard many explanations about why certain situations occurred. Now, we can hear directly from those involved, because these coaches were there."
Baffoe stated: "To the coaches who led these 10 teams in the World Cup, I want to say that you truly made us proud. We are also very happy that you can be here and share with us. Now, we want to have a deeper discussion. The following content will focus on technical and tactical aspects, because we want to hear firsthand the thoughts of the coaches who participated in this World Cup."
Wahbi's Speech
Mohamed Wahbi, Morocco's coach, discussed a major practical difficulty faced by national team coaches: making the most of very limited preparation time during international breaks.
Wahbi stated that national teams need to utilize international breaks more efficiently, as travel, recovery, and matches leave coaches with limited training time.
He also spoke about the value of extended training camps, which allow players more time to understand and execute tactical requirements.
Wahbi stated that Morocco needs to choose strong warm-up opponents, as playing against high-level teams better tests players' progress and preparation.
Desabre's Speech
Democratic Republic of Congo coach Sébastien Desabre's remarks were affected by transcription and translation issues, but one core point remained clear: DR Congo's World Cup performance was built on years of sustained work, not short-term preparation.
Desabre stated: "Ultimately, it's about the stability we built over four years."
Speaking about the importance of building a stable team and discipline before participating in the World Cup, Desabre stated: "It took us a long time to build this team, and the discipline within the squad gave us the ability to reach the World Cup."
Desabre's remarks also touched on the need for coaches to adjust tactics for each match rather than relying on a fixed system. This also resonated with DR Congo's return to the World Cup after 52 years and their subsequent qualification to the knockout stages.
Bubista's Speech
The experience of former Cape Verde coach Bubista provided a vivid example of how small African nations can develop a competitive playing style at the World Cup through thorough preparation, discipline, and clear objectives.
Bubista stated: "We cannot consider only one strategy; we must have more than one: one for when we don't have the ball, another for when we do, and yet another for when we cannot attack quickly. From the beginning, we set a clear goal: we wanted to reach the knockout stages. I told our leadership: 'I don't know exactly how, but we will definitely reach the knockout stages.'"
Bubista stated that African teams need to be more ambitious and clearly articulate what they hope to achieve in major tournaments.
Speaking about the goals of African teams in major tournaments, Bubista stated: "What African football sometimes lacks is setting clear goals for these tournaments. Few teams explicitly say: 'We want to reach the final' or 'We want to reach the semifinals.'"
He also cited Cape Verde's goal against Argentina as an example, illustrating that the "Blue Sharks" capabilities were not limited to low-block defending. Bubista stated: "We won back possession, kept the ball, built up the attack, and then scored. We had full confidence in everything we had prepared beforehand."
FIFA's analysis also supported Bubista's point about clear tactical characteristics. Morocco and Cape Verde achieved success through distinctly different approaches: Morocco focused more on possession and aggressive ball recovery, while Cape Verde relied on disciplined low-block defending and quick attacking transitions. However, both teams had clear tactical structures. Wenger concluded that African teams do not need to copy a specific fixed model; the key is clear thinking, organized play, and high-quality execution of the chosen game plan.
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