Africa's football leaders left Cabo Verde with a clear mandate: transform the continent's record FIFA World Cup 2026 performance into a concrete, lasting plan for 2030. The CAF Strategy Conference concluded on Friday in Santa Maria, Sal Island, after three days of high-level debate, technical analysis, and institutional planning.

The gathering brought together presidents and senior officials from CAF's 54 Member Associations, national team coaches, technical directors, and international football experts. Cabo Verde Head of State Dr Janira Hopffer Almada and FIFA President Gianni Infantino were among the senior figures who addressed delegates, alongside CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe, who convened and led the Conference.

A record World Cup provides the baseline

Africa arrived at the Conference on the back of its strongest collective showing at a World Cup. A record 10 nations competed in the expanded FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament, with nine of them advancing from the group stage — a dramatic turnaround from 2018, when no African side progressed past that round.

Morocco reached the quarter-finals for a second successive tournament. Cabo Verde, making their World Cup debut, also came through the group stage before losing 3-2 to Argentina after extra time. Those results framed every session of the Conference, not as cause for simple celebration, but as the foundation from which Africa must now build.

Motsepe demands results, not intentions