CAF gathers its 54 federations in Cape Verde: 19,685 African coaches certified in five years

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is holding a strategic conference from October 7 to 9, 2026, in Santa Maria, on the island of Sal, Cape Verde. The presidents of the 54 member associations are gathered there, along with national team coaches and experts, to transform the results of the 2026 World Cup into a trajectory toward the 2030 tournament, reports Africa Radio.

According to the media outlet, this is the first event of this format organized by the governing body: until now, meetings of this type mainly followed major continental competitions, such as the 2023 AFCON. The day of October 8, 2026, was dedicated to a working session for the presidents, while October 9 was focused on analyzing African performances at the World Cup.

Nine out of ten African teams in the knockout stage

The figure shaping the discussions is well-known: nine of the ten African representatives at the 2026 World Cup reached the knockout stage, according to data from CAF relayed by Le Soleil. Arsène Wenger is expected to present an assessment of the North American tournament, alongside coaches who were there: Hossam Hassan (Egypt), Bubista (Cape Verde), Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo), and Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco).

Nearly 20,000 technicians trained between 2021 and 2026

Coach training is on the agenda, and CAF released its report on October 6, 2026: 19,685 technicians were certified between 2021 and 2026. The breakdown by license shows 12,770 CAF C diplomas, 4,846 CAF B, 1,945 CAF A, and 124 CAF Pro, according to Le Soleil.

Year after year, the curve rose and then stabilized: 1,797 certified in 2021, 2,593 in 2022, 3,746 in 2023, 4,280 in 2024, 3,938 in 2025, and 3,331 in 2026.

African benches taken over by Africans

This training effort is reflected on World Cup match sheets. Only one African coach led an African team in 2010, two in 2014, two in 2018, then five out of five in 2022, and six out of ten in 2026, again according to figures cited by Le Soleil. The Dakar-based daily recalls the journeys of Bubista, who qualified Cape Verde for its first World Cup before reaching the knockout stages, Emerse Faé with Ivory Coast, and Walid Regragui, the first African coach to lead a team from the continent to a World Cup semi-final in 2022.

For a long time, the reflex of African federations was to seek out a European technician as soon as the stakes became serious. The licenses issued on the continent and the results of 2026 weaken this argument.

No formal decision was announced at the opening of the conference. The work focuses on technical and competition infrastructure for youth in clubs and academies, and on strengthening national teams, specifies Africa Radio.