Former Super Eagles captain and coach Augustine Eguavoen has expressed confidence that African nations have a genuine chance of challenging for the 2026 World Cup title, pointing to the narrowing gap between the continent and football’s traditional powerhouses.
His comments follow an encouraging opening round of matches for African representatives at the tournament. Morocco, Cape Verde, Egypt and DR Congo all secured impressive draws against Brazil, Spain, Belgium and Portugal respectively, while Ivory Coast and Ghana claimed late victories over Ecuador and Panama. Only South Africa, Tunisia, Senegal and Algeria failed to pick up a point from their opening fixtures.
Eguavoen said the balance of power in world football had shifted significantly compared to previous editions of the tournament.
“What we saw like three or four editions back at the World Cup, you could clearly say that Brazil would win it, Argentina would win, Spain or Germany, but it’s not so anymore. We’re closing the gap, so I believe Africa has a real chance. The good thing is that FIFA has made this tournament very open. If you play well, you win games,” he told Flashscore.
He also credited the growing presence of African players in Europe’s top leagues as a major factor behind the continent’s progress.
“When I talk about our players, I mean African players in general. The majority are now playing in Europe’s top leagues alongside some of the world’s best footballers at the biggest clubs. They only come together with their national teams to compete, so they already know each other’s qualities and what to expect,” he explained.
Eguavoen, who was part of the Super Eagles squad at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, featured in four matches across both tournaments during his playing career.
