Morocco’s World Cup Success Sparks Hope for Future African Champions

"The level of professional play is improving. For more than 10 years in Africa, I have seen changes in CAF, in the federations, in the academies. I know that one day, an African team will surely win the World Cup, because in any case, it is destined for African football," said Sébastien Desabre to the BBC. According to him, the possibility for African nations to win a World Cup will first and foremost depend on the quality of sports infrastructure. "Unfortunately, some pitches, some structures, are not at the level of the president’s [of CAF] objectives or the objectives of the federations. That’s why it’s more difficult to get results in Africa," noted the French technician. Desabre insists that the standards of football pitches and stadiums in Africa must be improved for a team from the continent to win the World Cup one day. "[...] we must continue to build stadiums and training pitches to help coaches and players offer a good show and get good results," he added.

The coach of the DRC team participated in the CAF technical symposium with the coaches of the CAN Côte d’Ivoire-2023, organized on September 12 and 13 in Abidjan. During this seminar, the director of the training center at the National Technical Directorate (DTN), Jamal Fathi, led a panel on the development of the mental skills of African footballers in front of trainers and tacticians from 42 African federations as well as international experts, including representatives from FIFA and UEFA, according to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) in a press release. This technical symposium focused on the significant moments of the tournament, proposing a comprehensive analysis of the strategies that accentuated the masterpieces of the competition, as well as a reflection on the prospects of football in Africa, adds the same source. "The work of each [coach] is different, but it is also important to take into account the experience of the ODA coaches to continue to learn and improve our knowledge, and also to provide feedback on the competition. It is also important for us to examine the improvements or how to prepare for the next one," said Desabre.

The qualification campaign for the next Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place from December 21 to January 18, 2026, is ongoing and should end in November. The French technician would have liked the teams not to have to wait a year before the start of the tournament. "I think it would be better if the competition took place immediately after the qualifications, but it would be the same during the qualifications for the World Cup," said Desabre.