Confederation of African Football Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Confederation of African Football


Abbreviation	CAF
Founded	8 February 1957; 68 years ago (1957-02-08)
Founded at	Khartoum, Sudan
Headquarters	6th of October City, Giza, Egypt
Region served	Africa
Membership	54 member associations
Official language	Arabic English French Spanish
President	Patrice Motsepe
Vice Presidents	Fouzi Lekjaa (first vice president) Kurt Okraku Pierre-Alain Mounguengui Bestine Ditabala Feizal Sidat
General Secretary	Véron Mosengo-Omba
Parent organization	FIFA
Subsidiaries	UNAF (North Africa) WAFU (West Africa) UNIFFAC (Central Africa) CECAFA (East Africa) COSAFA (Southern Africa)

The Confederation of African Football, better known as CAF, is the main group in charge of association football (soccer), futsal, and beach soccer in Africa. Think of it as the government for football on the continent. It was created on February 8, 1957, in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

CAF is one of the six continental groups that make up FIFA, the world's top football organization. CAF's biggest job is to organize exciting tournaments for both national teams and clubs. The most famous of these is the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Because it's part of FIFA, CAF also manages the qualification process for African teams to play in the FIFA World Cup. Starting with the 2026 tournament, Africa will have 9 guaranteed spots for its teams. There's even a chance for a 10th team to qualify through a special playoff tournament.

The headquarters of CAF is located near Cairo, Egypt. The current president is Patrice Motsepe from South Africa, who was elected in 2021.

What Does CAF Do?
- Competitions for National Teams
- Competitions for Clubs
Members of CAF
African Teams in the World Cup
Top African Football Clubs
See also

What Does CAF Do?

CAF has many important jobs to keep football in Africa running smoothly. It organizes competitions, makes rules, and helps football grow across the continent.

Competitions for National Teams

CAF runs several tournaments where countries compete against each other.

Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON): This is the biggest football event in Africa. National teams from all over the continent compete to be crowned the champion.
African Nations Championship (CHAN): This is a special tournament where countries can only use players who play for clubs in their own country.
Youth Tournaments: CAF organizes AFCON tournaments for younger players, like the U-23, U-20, and U-17 teams. These events help find the future stars of African football.
Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON): This is the top tournament for women's national teams in Africa.
Other Competitions: CAF also manages tournaments for beach soccer and futsal, which is an indoor version of soccer.

Competitions for Clubs

CAF also has major tournaments for football clubs.

CAF Champions League: The best clubs from each country's top league compete in this tournament. Winning the Champions League is the highest honor for an African club.
CAF Confederation Cup: This is the second-biggest club tournament in Africa.
CAF Super Cup: This is a single match played each year between the winner of the Champions League and the winner of the Confederation Cup.
CAF Women's Champions League: This tournament was started in 2021 for the best women's clubs in Africa.

Members of CAF

A map showing the five regional football zones in Africa. UNAF (North Africa) WAFU (West Africa) UNIFFAC (Central Africa) CECAFA (East Africa) COSAFA (Southern Africa)

CAF has 54 member countries. To make things easier to manage, these countries are grouped into five different zones based on their location in Africa.

UNAF (Union of North African Football): This zone includes countries like Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.
WAFU (West African Football Union): This is a large zone with countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Ivory Coast.
UNIFFAC (Central African Football Federations' Union): This zone includes Cameroon, DR Congo, and Gabon.
CECAFA (Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations): This zone has countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda.
COSAFA (Council of Southern Africa Football Associations): This zone includes South Africa, Zambia, and Angola.

Each of these zones also organizes its own regional tournaments for its member countries.

African Teams in the World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest football tournament in the world, and African teams have made their mark on it.

First Appearance: Egypt was the first African team to play in the World Cup, back in 1934.
First Win: In 1978, Tunisia became the first African team to win a match at the World Cup.
Making History: Cameroon amazed the world in 1990 by reaching the quarter-finals, the furthest an African team had ever gone at the time.
Recent Success: In the 2022 World Cup, Morocco had an incredible run and became the first African team ever to reach the semi-finals, finishing in fourth place.

The FIFA Women's World Cup has also seen great performances from African teams. The Nigeria women's national team has played in every single tournament since it began in 1991. In 2023, three African teams—Nigeria, South Africa, and Morocco—all reached the knockout stage for the first time.

Top African Football Clubs

Some football clubs in Africa have a long history of success and have won many CAF trophies. Here are some of the most successful clubs based on the number of major titles they have won.