‘An African team winning FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 not impossible’
Football officials optimistic of top Africa show
Senegal have become the first African team to reach the World Cup’s knockout stages, and the continent’s four other representatives remain hopeful of joining the Teranga Lions in Qatar.
Morocco’s 2-0 win over Belgium on Sunday puts them in first place in Group F, with four points from two games. A draw against Canada in their final match on Thursday will be enough to get them into the knockout stages for the second time.
INFLUENTIAL representatives of African football have expressed confidence that African teams winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is something that can be accomplished.
As the contours of the list of teams advancing to the round of 16 are beginning to emerge, African football stakeholders, including Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe and AIPS Africa President Mitchel Obi, are optimistic that African teams are capable of making history in this edition of the premier football tournament.
Senegal have become the first African team to reach the World Cup’s knockout stages, and the continent’s four other representatives remain hopeful of joining the Teranga Lions in Qatar.
On the sidelines of Football on the Global Stage: What About Africa?, Mitchel Obi described the participation of African teams as giving “great optimism” as the tournament’s group stages conclude on Friday, with the possibility of all African teams advancing to the knockout stage.
“We are confident that the Africans, at the very least, will not be intimidated by the sense of the past. The CAF president has gone around to see the teams, telling them that winning the World Cup is a mission that they can accomplish, and some of us share that sentiment, knowing that the World Cup in Qatar is very open,” Obi said.
Obi’s assertion about the chances of supposedly lesser teams in this edition is evident in the number of upsets recorded and how closely contested matches against established teams have been.
“I’ve looked at all the teams in Qatar, and there are no gaps; it’s as unpredictable as they come, and any team that’s prepared for the day can get to where it wants to be,” he said.
Morocco’s 2-0 win over Belgium on Sunday puts them in first place in Group F, with four points from two games. A draw against Canada in their final match on Thursday will be enough to get them into the knockout stages for the second time. The Indomitable Lions appeared to be crashing out early in their second group game, losing Serbia 3-1, but a Vincent Aboubakar-inspired comeback saw Africa’s most consistent side in the World Cup draw 3-3 and live to fight another day. Cameroon need a win against one of the world’s heavyweights five-time World Cup winners Brazil in their final game on Friday.
Obi went on to say that African teams can advance all the way to the quarterfinal stage of the competition, which will be a benchmark for the continent. “Looking at Senegal and how deliberate they were and how comfortable and confident they showed, especially in the way they won their last two games, that’s a measure of how players within African teams are ready to measure. In the knockout stage, anything is possible and nothing is impossible.”
Obi went on to say that if the United States hopes to go far, Africa, which started the game before America, should be on the same wavelength in terms of mission.
“There’s virtually nothing spectacular,” he said of Europe. “Look at how Morocco methodically took out Belgium, third place finishers in the last world cup and FIFA’s current second highest ranked team. It indicates that the game has progressed and that anything can happen on a good day.”
After two rounds of group stage matches, all five teams from the continent have a chance to qualify which is a notable record for the teams. “The good news is that we have an African record in that all five teams have a chance to advance to the second round after two games, and after the third games, we can now see if they all made it.”
So far after three games, Senegal have earned a ticket to the next round, “which is a measure of expectations, good standing for Africa, and anything beyond the quarterfinals is a milestone that will be well celebrated,” Obi said.