CAF President Patrice Motsepe has admitted that the 2026 FIFA World Cup was missing the presence of Nigeria and Cameroon after both African giants failed to qualify for the tournament.
Motsepe made the remarks during a global press conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, while assessing Africa’s showing at the competition.
Nigeria missed out on a second consecutive World Cup after falling short in the CAF qualifiers, following their absence from the 2022 edition in Qatar.
The Super Eagles finished behind South Africa in Group C before defeating Gabon in the playoff semi-final, but their qualification hopes ended against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final playoff round, where they lost on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
The Nigeria Football Federation’s challenge over DR Congo’s use of allegedly ineligible players was later dismissed.
Nigeria have since fallen to fourth among African teams in the latest FIFA rankings, behind Morocco, Senegal and Egypt, although they remain 26th in the global standings.
FIFA had previously stated that Nigeria’s return to the World Cup in 2030 would depend more on improved structure and consistency rather than the country’s wealth of football talent.
Motsepe said Nigeria and Cameroon’s absence created a void at the tournament that could not easily be replaced.
“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.
