Sunday Oliseh was part of the first African team to win Olympic football gold, helping Nigeria make history at Atlanta 1996. But the 51-year-old is still waiting to see that achievement matched at the Fifa World Cup. “If there’s something I want to see before God takes me to heaven or hell it would be great to see an African nation win the World Cup,” Oliseh told BBC Sport Africa. “This is a tournament that we all love passionately in Africa.”
His longing speaks to a broader continental ambition that has remained unfulfilled for decades. There have been 22 editions of the global showpiece since 1930, and in that time 49 sides have represented Africa, taken from 13 countries, yet the continent has produced just one semi-finalist. That landmark came four years ago at Qatar 2022, when Morocco broke new ground for the world’s second-largest and second most populous continent.
“Morocco became Africa's first World Cup semi-finalist in 2022, but a continent still awaits its first champion.”
The apocryphal prediction made by Brazil’s three-time World Cup winner Pele, who said in the 1970s that an African nation would get their hands on the trophy by the year 2000, has still not come to pass. The big question now is: how much longer will we have to wait?
Africa had three quarter-finalists – Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010 – before Morocco upset Belgium, Spain and Portugal on their way to the last four in Qatar. The one thing underpinning the North Africans’ success has been long-term investment backed by the country’s King Mohammed VI. An academy and $65m (£48.7m) training complex, both bearing his name, opened in 2009 and 2019 respectively and have helped the Atlas Lions establish themselves as Africa’s top-ranked side.
William Troost-Ekong, former Nigeria captain, sees a clear lesson. “Morocco has created a blueprint of how it can be done, which is years and years of investing in grassroots football and academies,” he told BBC Sport Africa. “It starts with structure, with planning. Investment is very, very important. It has to be something that comes from federations being supported from a governmental level. Morocco have invested not just money but also time and effort, with a clear idea of how they can progress. The facilities they have, the consistency throughout their age groups, I think that’s the only blueprint you can follow.”
The Confederation of African Football (Caf), for its part, has been attempting to boost the coffers of national federations and club sides by increasing prize money for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and its top continental club competitions, as well as investing in schools championships. But until an African side lifts the World Cup, Oliseh’s wish will remain unfulfilled – and a continent will keep asking how much longer.