Confederation of African Football President Patrice Motsepe declared that the 2026 FIFA World Cup felt incomplete without Nigeria and Cameroon. He made the statement on Wednesday during a global press conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Motsepe reviewed the performance of African teams at the tournament. He stressed the historical contributions of the two nations to African football.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 tournament. This marked their second successive absence after they also missed the 2022 edition in Qatar. Eric Chelle’s side finished second in their qualifying group before they lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final playoff round on penalties.
The Nigeria Football Federation challenged the eligibility of some Congolese players, but officials dismissed the appeal. Nigeria then dropped to fourth in the latest African FIFA rankings.
Cameroon equally failed to secure a spot at the global showpiece. Motsepe expressed pride in both countries despite the setbacks.
Motsepe told journalists that he kept reminding his Nigerian friends of the importance of these teams. “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.
He added that Nigeria produced many superstars and outstanding young players across the continent. Motsepe also recalled a visit to Nigeria where he witnessed the unifying power of the Super Eagles.
“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.
Motsepe expressed confidence that Nigeria and Cameroon would continue to make Africa proud in future competitions. He pointed to performances by other African sides like Cape Verde and Egypt as signs of growing competitiveness.
The CAF president further announced that the confederation’s general assembly would hold in Abuja, Nigeria, in November.
