FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, stands with Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas, left, during a ceremony for the team winning the Supporters' Shield after an MLS soccer match against the New England Revolution in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP)

 ADDIS ABABA, Oct 23, (Xinhua): FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Tuesday confirmed that at least nine African teams will compete in the 2026 World Cup that will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Infantino made the remarks when the 46th Confederation of African Football (CAF) Ordinary General Assembly opened on Tuesday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, bringing together leaders and delegates of member associations from across Africa.

“In World Cup 2026, there will be nine or ten African countries (and regions) participating in the World Cup,” said Infantino, noting that the increase is to be made in line with FIFA’s expanded World Cup format. Infantino urged African countries to further invest in and unleash the potential of the continent’s young football players.

“I encourage all of you to continue investing in youth football because those kids, those girls and boys, will be the stars of tomorrow,” he said. The president said FIFA is also considering increasing the number of African teams participating in the FIFA Women’s World Cup to six. He also noted that Morocco is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030, which would make the country the second-ever African nation to host the World Cup. While addressing the opening session of the Assembly, Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie appealed to the CAF to endorse Ethiopia’s bid to host the 2029 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2029) tournament.

Atske Selassie also noted the need to bring the World Cup trophy to African soil, although many players with African roots are becoming instrumental in the victory of non-African nations to claim the prestigious football trophy. “The key to elevating the football sport and nurturing young talent lies in the scaling up of the collective efforts. With this foundational talent in place, African football can thrive and occupy its rightful place on the global stage,” Atske Selassie said.

Expressing best wishes for Ethiopia’s bid to host AFCON 2029, CAF President Patrice Motsepe encouraged the government of Ethiopia and the football federation to work closely to make timely decisions regarding Ethiopia’s proposal submission. “We are very excited about the intention of Ethiopia to submit a proposal to host the AFCON 2029,” he added. “The success of football is what happens in Ethiopia, what happens in other parts of the continent. We are successful in some countries. In others, we are not successful.” Former African football stars, including Samuel Eto’o, Jay-Jay Okocha, and El-Hadji Diouf, among others, attended the 46th CAF Ordinary General Assembly.