Former Germany international and Schalke legend Gerald Asamoah has cast doubt on the likelihood of an African nation winning the FIFA World Cup, citing ongoing challenges faced by teams from the continent.
Asamoah, who has Ghanaian heritage, pointed to Morocco’s historic run in the 2022 World Cup as the closest an African team has come to winning the prestigious trophy. The Moroccan side reached the semifinals but ultimately lost to Croatia in the third-place playoff.
“I want to see this before I leave the earth, but it is not going to be easy,” Asamoah said, as reported by Joy Sports. “It is about teamwork, and this is a problem Africans have. We have always had some issues in the team.”
While African teams like Ghana and Senegal have come close, with both reaching the quarterfinals in previous World Cups, none have managed to lift the trophy.
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, qualifiers are still ongoing. Ghana’s Black Stars are currently leading Group I with 15 points and are on track to qualify.
Their next challenges will come against Chad and Mali in the upcoming September qualifiers.
