By Kenneth Madaki
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Patrice Motsepe, has said that the 2026 FIFA World Cup was incomplete without Nigeria and Cameroon.
He spoke on Wednesday during a global press conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he reviewed the performance of African teams at the tournament.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles failed to qualify for the World Cup, marking their second successive absence from the global showpiece after also missing the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second behind South Africa in Group C of the CAF qualifiers before edging Gabon in a playoff semi-final.
Their qualification bid ended in the final playoff round, where they lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
The Nigeria Football Federation had challenged the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eligibility for the tie, alleging the use of ineligible players, but the appeal was dismissed.
Nigeria have since dropped to fourth position among African countries in the latest FIFA rankings, behind Morocco, Senegal and Egypt, even as they retained their 26th spot globally.
FIFA had said Nigeria’s return to the World Cup in 2030 would depend less on the abundance of talent in the country and more on building a stable structure capable of producing consistent results.
Motsepe told journalists that Nigeria’s absence, alongside Cameroon’s, left a gap that no other country could fill.
“I’m very proud of Nigeria, Cameroon. I can say the same about every one of the 54 nations. Nigeria didn’t make it now.
“And I keep telling my Nigerian friends, a World Cup for me without Nigeria, without Cameroon and many others, is incomplete because Nigeria has always made us proud,” he said.
The CAF president said the setback would not diminish his confidence in Nigerian football, insisting the country remained one of the biggest producers of talent on the continent.
“How many superstars are there? Not here, Nigeria, everywhere. Many, many outstanding young players,” he said.
Motsepe also praised the unifying power of the Super Eagles brand, recalling an experience during a visit to Nigeria.
“When I went to Nigeria, I was told when the national team plays, there’s nobody from the north, there’s nobody from the south. We’re all Nigerians. There’s no Christian, there’s no Muslim. We are all Nigerians,” he said.
Responding to a question from a journalist on whether the World Cup outing had strengthened his belief in CAF’s competition structures, Motsepe said the continent’s clubs and national teams were being adequately prepared for global football.
He cited Cape Verde’s exploits at the tournament, alongside Egypt’s showing against Argentina, as proof of Africa’s growing competitiveness.
“Nigeria has got some of the best players not just in Africa but in the world, and I’m confident Nigeria will continue to make us proud as they did in the past, same Cameroon and same Bafana Bafana,” he said.
Motsepe disclosed that CAF’s ordinary general assembly would hold in Abuja in November, describing Nigeria as a proud football nation.
“There’s a reason why I took it to Nigeria,” he said, without elaborating further.