EXCLUSIVE — World Cup 2026: African Teams Impressed, But Super Eagles Would Have Done Better — Kalika

Simon Kalika, a Dutch coach and former Flying Eagles of Nigeria assistant coach during the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in the Netherlands, as well as the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, has applauded the performances of African teams at the ongoing World Cup 2026, Completesports.com reports.

However, Kalika insists that Nigeria’s Super Eagles would have performed even better had the three-time African champions qualified for the global showpiece,

Ten African countries—Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, DR Congo and South Africa—qualified for the tournament, with only Egypt and Morocco progressing to the Round of 16.

World Cup 2026: Kalika Hails Africa’s Growing Competitiveness

Kalika, who spoke exclusively to Completesports.com on Monday, 13 July 2026, from his country home in the Netherlands, said the performances of the African representatives showed that the continent is rapidly closing the gap on the world’s traditional football powers.

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“Who would have believed that Cape Verde possessed the talent and quality to dazzle the world as they did at the World Cup 2026?” Kalika began.

“Or who would have given DR Congo a chance of reaching the Round of 32 before the tournament started? What this shows is that there is tremendous talent in Africa and that football is growing rapidly across the continent.

“The continent is fast catching up with the rest of the world, and it is a credit to the various football federations (associations).”

Cape Verde’s World Cup Heroics Earn Special Praise

The former assistant to coach Samson Siasia reserved special praise for Cape Verde, who, despite making their maiden appearance at the FIFA World Cup, came close to producing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.

Also Read: World Cup 2026: Morocco Boss Ouahbi Concedes France Deserved Victory

“They surprised the entire world with their performance against Argentina. But for their lack of experience, it would have been the biggest talking point of the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Kalika said.

Egypt and Morocco both reached the Round of 16 before bowing out to Argentina and France respectively.

Super Eagles Would Have Gone Further, Says Kalika

Nigeria failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals. Nevertheless, Kalika believes the Super Eagles possessed enough quality to outperform Morocco, Egypt and every other African representative at the tournament.

“Nigeria is exceptionally blessed with talent. You can see Nigerian players in all the major leagues across Europe and the rest of the world.

“I think the way they are playing now, yes, they would have done better at the World Cup. It’s painful that the Super Eagles didn’t qualify for the World Cup 2026. The world would have seen one of the most talented teams at the tournament,” Kalika concluded.