The landmark CAF Strategy Conference concluded successfully in Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cabo Verde, after three days of high-level discussions aimed at turning Africa’s record 2026 FIFA World Cup performance into a stronger plan for 2030.
Presidents and senior officials from CAF’s 54 Member Associations, National Team coaches, technical leaders and international football experts attended the gathering, which combined football development, institutional strategy and detailed analysis of Africa’s performances at the World Cup.
The Conference was convened under the leadership of CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, with Cabo Verde Head of State, Dr Janira Hopffer Almada and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, among the leading figures to address delegates.
Africa entered the Conference after its strongest collective World Cup performance, with a record 10 countries taking part in the expanded 2026 tournament and nine progressing from the group stage. Morocco reached the quarter-finals for a second successive World Cup.
While Cabo Verde progressed from the group stage on its tournament debut. Those achievements provided the central reference point for a Conference designed not simply to celebrate 2026 but to identify what must improve before 2030. Motsepe calls for results, not just plans
He repeatedly stressed that African football must now translate ambition into measurable outcomes.
“There is a big gap between good plans, good intentions and what we do practically in terms of investments and results. We are judged by results,” Motsepe told delegates during the Conference, while setting the ultimate target clearly.
“We have to win the World Cup. We are going to win the World Cup. One of the nations from Africa will win the World Cup,” Motsepe mentioned.
CAF said one of the Conference’s key objectives was to make football in each of its 54 Member Associations world-class and self-sustaining, while continuing to improve the quality and global competitiveness of CAF competitions.
The discussions also looked at increased investment in Member Associations, football development, coaching, youth structures, administration and stronger commercial and broadcasting partnerships.
FIFA President Infantino highlighted Africa’s rise, while praising the scale of Africa’s improvement and highlighted the contrast between recent World Cups.
At the Conference he noted that no African team progressed from the group stage in 2018, compared with nine out of 10 in 2026 — a transformation he linked to the work being done across the continent.
Infantino also stressed the need to keep investing in opportunity and infrastructure, telling delegates that African talent was already shaping world football and needed better pathways to flourish globally.
His message to the gathering was simple: “The road to 2030 begins now.”
Wenger: Africa is close, but details matter
The final day shifted strongly towards technical analysis.
FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger joined coaches and analysts to examine Africa’s 2026 performance in detail, including tactical organisation, chance creation, counter-pressing, transitions and late-game management.
Wenger said one of the clearest improvements was the organisation of African teams.
“In the past, African teams sometimes lost because of a lack of compactness, too much distance between the lines and inconsistent concentration,” Wenger said.
“At this World Cup, it was difficult to beat any African team because the discipline and organisation were at the top level.”
But he also warned that the remaining margins were small and decisive.
“We are very close, but a small percentage can cost you the game. Most of these games were lost by one goal, so every detail in the modern game becomes absolutely vital,” Wenger highlighted.
His conclusion captured the central message of the Conference: Africa has progressed significantly, but the next level will depend on precision rather than wholesale reinvention.
Coaches bring World Cup experience into the room
The final-day discussions included coaches who had worked with African teams at the World Cup, including Bubista, Hossam Hassan and Sébastien Desabre, among others.
Their contributions allowed CAF to move from statistics to practical experience — how teams prepared, managed international windows, adapted tactically and dealt with the pressures of tournament football.
Bubista, who led Cabo Verde during their historic debut campaign, stressed the value of clear objectives and tactical flexibility.
“We cannot think about only one strategy,” he said. “We have to have more than one strategy — one when we don’t have the ball, another when we have the ball, and another when we cannot attack quickly.”
His experience was particularly relevant because Cabo Verde was one of the standout stories of the World Cup, qualifying for the first time and progressing from the group stage before losing 3-2 after extra time to Argentina.
Cabo Verde provides symbolic backdrop
The choice of Cabo Verde as host gave the Conference additional significance.
The country’s rise from World Cup debutants to knockout-stage participants made it an appropriate setting for a gathering focused on development, belief and long-term planning. CAF had identified Cabo Verde’s 2026 campaign as one of the reasons the country was selected to stage the Conference.
Dr Hopffer Almada used Cabo Verde’s journey as a broader lesson for African football, arguing that talent alone was not enough without structure, organisation and trust in African expertise.
The Conference therefore ended with a message that went beyond the success of one tournament.
Africa’s 2026 World Cup performance showed what was already possible.
The task agreed in Cabo Verde was to convert those results into stronger systems, better preparation and more sustainable football structures across all 54 Member Associations.
Three days after the Conference opened with development discussions, it closed with Africa’s football leaders looking firmly towards 2030 — and with the ambition of moving from record participation and deeper tournament runs to challenging seriously for football’s biggest prize.
