Former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju believes Africa’s representatives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup have shown enough quality in their opening matches to suggest the continent could enjoy a successful tournament, Footynaija.com reports.
Africa’s ten participating nations endured a mixed start to the competition, recording two wins, four draws and four defeats across the opening round of group-stage fixtures.
While Ghana and Ivory Coast emerged as the continent’s only winners, several other African sides impressed by claiming valuable results against some of world football’s traditional heavyweights.
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Morocco held five-time world champions Brazil to a draw, Cape Verde frustrated former champions Spain in a goalless stalemate, while DR Congo marked their long-awaited return to the global stage with a hard-fought draw against Portugal. Egypt also earned plaudits after holding Belgium.
Reflecting on the performances of the African contingent, Adepoju expressed satisfaction with what he has seen so far despite the varied results.
“I think we have seen some very encouraging performances from the African teams,” Adepoju said in a recent interview with Footy Africa.
“Of course, everyone always wants victories, but sometimes the manner of the performance is equally important. The teams that won deserved a lot of credit, while those that picked up draws showed they can compete against strong opposition.”
The former Real Sociedad midfielder reserved special praise for Ghana and Ivory Coast, whose victories have placed them in strong positions heading into their remaining group fixtures.
“I was very happy watching Ghana and Ivory Coast win their first games. When you win your opening game at a World Cup, everything opens up for you. Even though both teams did not play too well, they got the wins is all that matters at tournaments like this.
“Those two teams have put themselves in a very good position, and I hope they understand what they have done. Now is not the time to relax. They have to build on it.”
Adepoju also highlighted the significance of some of the continent’s draws, particularly those secured against nations with rich World Cup pedigrees.
“Cape Verde holding Spain to a goalless draw is not a small thing. Spain are former world champions. And DR Congo drawing with Portugal on their return to the World Cup after more than 50 years is beautiful.
“Those are the kind of performances that show African football is improving. The players are no longer afraid of the big names.
“Morocco drew with Brazil, a team that has won the World Cup five times. Since Qatar 2022, they have continued to show that they belong among the best teams in the world. A draw against Brazil is a result they can build on.”
While praising several teams, the 1994 AFCON winner admitted there was disappointment over some of the heavier defeats suffered by Tunisia and Algeria, while also urging Senegal and South Africa to respond positively in their upcoming fixtures.
“Look, I will not pretend those results were okay. Tunisia and Algeria have quality players and those scorelines do not reflect the quality in their squads.
“But this is the World Cup. If you lose concentration even for a few minutes, you get punished. The important thing now is how they respond.
“Senegal losing to France is not a disaster because France are one of the best teams in the world, but they need to regroup and come back stronger. The same goes for South Africa. Their next game is everything.”
With the group stage still in its early stages, Adepoju remains hopeful that Africa’s representatives can build on their encouraging displays and improve their results as the race for the knockout rounds intensifies.
