Gennaro Gattuso stated: “Africa deserves fewer World Cup slots… it makes Europe’s life harder.”
The 2026 World Cup group stage results provide a clear counterpoint:
UEFA (Europe): 3 teams eliminated
CONCACAF: 3 teams eliminated
CONMEBOL (South America): 1 team eliminated
OFC (Oceania): 1 team eliminated
CAF (Africa): 1 team eliminated
AFC (Asia): 7 teams eliminated
While Europe, with its substantial allocation of slots and resources, saw multiple early exits, African teams showed strong resilience with only one elimination.
This data suggests that African nations are becoming increasingly competitive on the global stage.