An African football analyst has said the continent's teams showed they have the quality to compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but a weak mentality stopped many from reaching the latter rounds of the knockout stage.
Speaking on Friday to Nigeria Info after seven (7) African teams were eliminated, Clinton McDubus said countries like Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and South Africa had enough ability to beat their opponents but failed to believe in themselves.
He pointed to South Africa's defeat to Canada, saying the team approached the match as if it was the underdog despite Canada's limited World Cup history.
According to him, African teams are no longer behind tactically or technically.
Instead, the biggest challenge is confidence and belief.
"We knew that these teams were capable of going toe-to-toe with these big wigs and these top European teams," McDubus said.
"But we have noticed a problem that is mental.
"So we are not we are not inadequate tactically."
The analyst praised Morocco for playing with the mindset that it belongs among the world's best teams.
He wants other African sides to adopt the same attitude rather than being satisfied with impressive performances in defeat.
He also rejected claims that Africa's performances prove critics who questioned the continent's place at the expanded World Cup right.
European teams, including Austria, Bosnia, Scotland and Czechia, performed worse than most African sides, he argued.
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