Africa's World Cup campaign was encouraging – Yaw Ampofo Ankrah

Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, believes Africa's performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup should be viewed as a positive step forward rather than a disappointment.

Speaking to GhanaWeb in an interview on July 20, 2026, Ampofo Ankrah disagreed with suggestions that the continent underperformed, insisting that African teams proved they can compete with football's elite.

"I don't think Africa's performance at the World Cup was bad. I disagree with those who say it was a disaster. Far from it," he said.

Ampofo Ankrah pointed to the narrow defeats suffered by several African nations, saying the continent came within touching distance of achieving more historic results.

He highlighted Cape Verde's spirited display against Argentina, Egypt's penalty shootout defeat to Australia, DR Congo's narrow loss to England, and Côte d'Ivoire's defeat to Norway as evidence of Africa's growing competitiveness.

The NSA boss also praised Morocco's run to the quarter-finals, where the Atlas Lions were eventually eliminated by France.

"Yes, there were moments of lost concentration, but that happens to every great team. The margins were very small, and that's encouraging," he said.

According to him, the gap between African football and the traditional global powers continues to narrow.

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"It's not a big gulf anymore. We can learn from this experience, and Africa will come back much, much stronger," he added.

Ampofo Ankrah further stated that, aside from Tunisia, Africa's representatives deserved their places at the tournament and justified their qualification with competitive performances.

He also commended the NSA officials who travelled to the World Cup to assess sporting infrastructure and operations, describing the exercise as a valuable learning opportunity for Ghana.

"For the first time, our regional directors, Monitoring and Evaluation team, and Estates Department officials went to collect data on the venues. We're very proud of them because what they have gathered will help us improve sports facility management in Ghana," he said.

PAH/MA

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