COSAFA Member Association presidents join African football leaders at Caf Strategy Conference
Presidents from COSAFA’s Member Associations will be among the leading football decision-makers attending the landmark CAF Strategy Conference in Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cabo Verde, which runs from October 7-9.
The three-day gathering, convened under the leadership of CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe, brings together the Presidents of CAF’s 54 Member Associations, Zonal Union Presidents, CAF Executive Committee members, National Team coaches, technical leaders and international football experts. FIFA President Gianni Infantino is also attending the Conference.
Thursday’s programme includes the CAF Member Associations’ Strategy Meeting, where COSAFA’s football leadership will join colleagues from across the continent to discuss the future direction of the African game.
The discussions will focus on strengthening Member Associations, improving football administration and creating sustainable structures that can support long-term success both on and off the pitch.
The Conference comes at an important time for African football following the continent’s strongest collective performance at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
A record 10 African nations competed at the expanded 48-team tournament and nine advanced from the group stage to the Round of 32, the highest percentage of African representatives to reach the knockout stages in World Cup history.
COSAFA was represented at the tournament by South Africa, who made history by reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time.
Bafana Bafana recovered from a 2-0 loss to co-hosts Mexico in their opening Group A fixture to draw 1-1 with Czechia before defeating South Korea 1-0 in their final pool match to book a place in the Round of 32.
Their campaign eventually came to an end with a narrow 1-0 loss to Canada, who scored the decisive goal in stoppage time, but South Africa’s progress provided another significant milestone for the Southern African region on the global stage.
The performances of Africa’s World Cup representatives will form a central part of the Strategy Conference, with CAF seeking to identify the technical, coaching and development lessons that can be carried forward towards the FIFA World Cup 2030.
Friday’s programme will include a detailed technical review of Africa’s World Cup campaign involving leading coaches and football experts, with the wider discussions also covering player pathways, youth development, coaching, administration and the structures required to make African football increasingly competitive and sustainable.
For COSAFA’s Member Associations, the Conference provides an important opportunity to contribute to the continental strategy and share ideas around the continued development of football in the Southern African region.
The gathering follows Wednesday’s CAF Technical and Development Committee programme, with the three days designed to turn the lessons from Africa’s progress in recent years into concrete plans for the next phase of growth across all 54 Member Associations.
