Ahmed Salem
The president of the Somali Football Association and vice president of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), Ali Abdi Mohamed, met in the United States with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, in the presence of a number of African football federation presidents who received invitations to attend the 2026 World Cup.
The meeting focused on the progress of the 2026 World Cup competitions, assessing preparations for the final match scheduled for July 19, as well as discussing a number of issues related to the development of football in the African continent.
During the meeting, Ali Abdi Mohamed and officials from African federations discussed with the FIFA president ways to enhance cooperation between the international federation and member federations, raise the level of tournaments, develop football infrastructure, and expand development and benefit opportunities for African countries.
South Sudan discusses with FIFA the development of African football
The president of the South Sudan Football Association, Francis Amin Michael, has arrived in the United States to participate in the closing events of the 2026 World Cup, which include the semi-final and final matches.
This is part of the official invitations extended to the leaders of national football federations.
The president of the federation is scheduled to hold a series of meetings and encounters with officials of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), along with presidents and representatives of a number of national federations and international partners, to discuss opportunities for cooperation and exchange of experiences in the areas of football development.
This participation comes as part of the South Sudan Football Association’s efforts to strengthen its presence on the international stage and expand its partnerships with global football institutions, which will contribute to supporting game development programs and raising the level of football in South Sudan.
The visit reflects the Federation’s keenness to take advantage of major sporting events to build strategic relationships that contribute to the development of the institutional and technical structure of football, and to open new horizons for cooperation with various international bodies.
In a separate context, the participation of African teams in the 2026 World Cup witnessed a mix of achievements, surprises and disappointments, as most teams succeeded in passing the group stage, with the exception of Tunisia, but only one African team managed to reach the quarter-finals, namely Morocco.
Ten teams participated in the edition hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, in a historic first after the number of participating teams was raised to 48, which gave the continent nine direct seats, in addition to a tenth seat through the continental play-off.
Africa was represented by the national teams of South Africa, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Morocco, Cape Verde, Ghana, Tunisia, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
