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Former Arsenal manager and FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger, believes African football has made a monumental leap forward, declaring that an African nation winning the World Cup is now a realistic and achievable goal.
Wenger pointed to the historic exploits of Morocco, who became the first African and Arab team to reach the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup under Walid Regragui, as proof of the continent’s rising stature.
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During that stellar campaign in Qatar, the Atlas Lions topped Group F with seven points, kept clean sheets against European powerhouses like Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, and did not concede a single goal until their semi-final clash against France.
Speaking at the CAF Strategy Conference in Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cape Verde, and as quoted by CAFOnline.com, Wenger emphasized that the continent’s progress at the recent expanded World Cup hosted across the USA, Canada, and Mexico underscores a massive structural shift. Remarkably, nine out of ten CAF representatives advanced past the group stage into the Round of 32.
“Africa has made a fantastic step forward. There is still another step to make. We want to see an African team win the World Cup, and the numbers show that it is feasible,” Wenger said.
The Frenchman attributed this continental success to significant improvements in tactical discipline and team organization, addressing historical weaknesses that previously hampered African sides.
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“In the past, African teams sometimes lost because of a lack of compactness, too much distance between the lines, and inconsistent concentration,” he noted.
While praising the statistical and tactical data, Wenger stressed that lifting the ultimate trophy will require more than just technical brilliance.
“The numbers don’t lie, but football is not only numbers. It is also attitude, mental qualities, unity, and your value system. Those are things you have to continue working on,” he concluded.
