Simon Kalika, a Dutch coach who served as assistant to the Flying Eagles of Nigeria at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, has praised the performances of African nations at the FIFA World Cup 2026 — while arguing that the Super Eagles would have outshone them all.

Speaking exclusively to Completesports.com on Monday, 13 July 2026, from his home in the Netherlands, Kalika said the continent's showing at the tournament demonstrated that Africa is rapidly closing the gap on football's traditional powers.

Africa's growing competitiveness on the world stage

Ten African nations — Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, DR Congo, and South Africa — took part in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Of those, only Egypt and Morocco advanced to the Round of 16, where they fell to Argentina and France respectively.