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Africa: Everything You Need to Know About the CAF Strategy Conference – Dates, Venue and Key Issues

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Africa: Everything You Need to Know About the CAF Strategy Conference – Dates, Venue and Key Issues


The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) will bring together leading decision-makers, coaches and football experts in Cape Verde in October for a landmark Strategy Conference aimed at shaping the next phase of African football development.

The three-day gathering will take place from 7 to 9 October 2026 in Santa Maria, Sal Island, and will be convened under the leadership of CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe.

The Conference comes after Africa’s record participation at the FIFA World Cup 2026, where 10 national teams represented the continent and nine progressed to the knockout stages.

Their performances will form an important part of discussions as CAF examines what worked, what can be improved and how African teams can become even more competitive by the FIFA World Cup 2030.


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The gathering will also look beyond senior men’s football, bringing together leaders and coaches from the men’s, women’s and youth games to connect elite performance with coaching, player development and long-term planning.

CAF’s wider objective is to make football across its 54 Member Associations world-class and self-supporting while continuing to raise the standard and global competitiveness of its competitions.

Everything you need to know about the CAF Strategy Conference

  • What is the CAF Strategy Conference?It is a high-level CAF gathering bringing together football administrators, national-team coaches and international experts to examine the development, performance and future direction of African football. CAF’s promotional strategy describes it as a platform for shaping the continent’s next chapter and defining the road towards 2030.
  • Why is the Conference being held?The Conference has been organised to assess the progress African football has made, examine the lessons from the FIFA World Cup 2026 and identify actions that can help African national teams achieve greater success in future global competitions.
  • What are the main objectives of the Conference?Two major themes will drive the discussions: strengthening football development and sustainability across Africa, and analysing the performances of African teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026 as part of preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2030.
  • Who is organising the Conference?The event is being organised by the Confédération Africaine de Football under the leadership of CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe.
  • When will the Conference be held?The CAF Strategy Conference will take place from 7 to 9 October 2026.
  • How many days will the Conference last?The gathering will run for three days, allowing different groups within African football to discuss development, administration and national-team performance.
  • Which country will host the Conference?Cape Verde will host the landmark gathering following a FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign that highlighted the country’s football progress and provided an appropriate backdrop for discussions about Africa’s future.
  • Which city will host the Conference?The Conference will take place in Santa Maria on Sal Island, one of Cape Verde’s best-known international destinations.
  • Who is expected to attend?Presidents of CAF’s 54 Member Associations, CAF Executive Committee members, Zonal Union Presidents, senior Men’s, Women’s and Youth National Team coaches and international football experts are expected to participate.
  • What role will the 10 FIFA World Cup 2026 coaches play?The coaches who led Africa’s 10 representatives at the FIFA World Cup 2026 will play a central role by sharing their experiences and lessons from the tournament to help strengthen African National Teams on the global stage.
  • Will coaches from other African countries also attend?Yes. The Conference is designed to involve senior national-team coaches from across CAF’s Member Associations, ensuring that lessons from the World Cup are shared more widely and can contribute to development throughout the continent.
  • Will women’s and youth football be represented?Yes. Coaches of African Women’s National Teams that have qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, as well as coaches of African U-17 teams participating at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, are also expected to be involved.
  • Which international football figures are expected?FIFA President Gianni Infantino is expected to attend, while international football experts, including the FIFA Technical Study Group led by Arsène Wenger, are also expected to contribute to the Conference.
  • Why is the FIFA World Cup 2026 important to the discussions?Africa sent a record 10 teams to the tournament, with nine reaching the knockout stage. CAF intends to use those performances as evidence of the continent’s progress while also examining the technical, tactical and developmental lessons that can inform future planning.
  • What does the Conference hope to achieve ahead of 2030?CAF wants the gathering to help establish a clearer pathway towards stronger African performances at the FIFA World Cup 2030. Its promotional strategy summarises the approach with the message that “2030 starts now”, linking decisions at the Conference to the next four years of development.
  • How will football development feature in the discussions?Coaching education, technical development, licensing, development programmes and investment across CAF’s Member Associations are expected to feature prominently. CAF’s strategy places particular emphasis on demonstrating how investment in these areas can translate into stronger results.
  • What does CAF mean by making African football self-supporting?One of the broader strategic aims is to strengthen football structures within all 54 Member Associations so they can become more sustainable while CAF competitions continue developing towards greater global competitiveness.
  • How will the different levels of African football be connected?By bringing together senior men’s coaches, women’s coaches, youth coaches, administrators and technical experts, CAF wants knowledge from elite international football to feed directly into coaching, youth development and longer-term national-team preparation.
  • What is planned across the three days?CAF envisages a Development Committee-related programme on 7 October, a Member Association Presidents’ Strategy Meeting on 8 October and a performance-focused meeting on 9 October, followed by an official press conference.
  • Will the media have access to the Conference?Yes, although access will be controlled. CAF’s media plan provides for accreditation, daily briefings, interview opportunities with coaches and experts and an official press conference on the final day.
  • Why is Cape Verde considered a fitting host?Cape Verde’s performances during the FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign drew international attention and reflected the progress being made by African national teams, making the country a symbolic setting for discussions about the next stage of development.
  • What is the wider significance of the Conference?The gathering is intended to move beyond celebrating Africa’s recent progress. CAF wants it to become the starting point for measurable actions in coaching, administration, national-team preparation and football development that can strengthen African football between now and 2030 with the overall ambition as making African football globally competitive.