CAF president Patrice Motsepe sets ambitious Bafana Bafana target for next FIFA World Cup - 'The semi-finals at least or the finals'

CAF president Patrice Motsepe has issued a bold challenge to Bafana Bafana, following their impressive display at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

South Africa made history during the tournament by advancing beyond the group stages under the guidance of head coach Hugo Broos, joining eight other African nations who qualified for the knockout rounds of the competition.

"I am very proud. African football is proud. We set very high standards for ourselves," he told the media at a press conference in Sandton, South Africa.

"Our key objective, and we are now more confident, is to see an African nation becoming champions of the world.

"I am more confident than ever before that can indeed happen. Bafana Bafana played very well. Senegal played very well. I can say Ghana played well. Algeria...the two nations that did exceptional well, and it's purely based on results, is Egypt and Morocco."

The CAF chief was explicit about what he expects from Bafana Bafana when they next take to the world stage.

After seeing nine out of ten African representatives progress past the round-robin phase in 2026, Motsepe believes the gap between Africa and the rest of the world is closing rapidly.

Morocco and Egypt led the way by reaching the quarter-finals, where they were eventually eliminated by powerhouses France and Argentina respectively.

"The results speak for themselves, but we are here in South Africa and I am going to leave a message, which is the same message I will give to everyone of the 54 countries on the continent. 

"One of the objectives of South Africa has to be 'at the next FIFA World Cup, we are going to go to the semi-finals at least or the finals'.

"You can do that. And the same applies to everyone of the 10 nations," Motsepe told the gathered media.

To ensure these lofty goals are met, Motsepe confirmed that CAF will organize a high-level conference in Nigeria to dissect the continent's performance.

The objective is to identify modern tactical trends and administrative improvements that can help African nations break the glass ceiling of the semi-finals and finals.

"We are going to have a conference and the agenda is very simple: what did we learn from the performances of the national teams at the World Cup? What can we do better? What are some of the areas for improvement? What are the areas we can take confidence from?" he asked.

"We live in era, not just in football but in society, where it's important to keep on looking at the positive and be optimistic.

"There are always things that will discourage you, but we should spend more than 80 percent on the positive and take inspiration from that.

"We are a great continent. We have exceptional football talent and we can do much better and we will do much better. We need each other." 

The overall showing of African teams in 2026 has provided the billionaire president with the ammunition to demand more funding and respect for the continent’s footballing structures.

With the expanded World Cup format allowing more African teams to participate, the focus now shifts to quality over quantity.

The emphasis on unity and collective improvement remains central to Motsepe's leadership style.

By highlighting the successes of Morocco and Egypt alongside Bafana Bafana, he is fostering a competitive environment where African nations push one another to higher planes of excellence.

As the dust settles on the 2026 World Cup, the mandate for South Africa is clear: the knockout stages are no longer the ceiling, but rather the starting point.