Confederation of African Football facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

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
President	Patrice Motsepe
Vice Presidents	Augustin Senghor Ahmed Yahya Waberi Souleiman Seidou Mbombo Njoya Kanizat Ibrahim
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 (CAF) is the main organization for association football, beach soccer, and futsal in Africa. It was started on February 8, 1957, in Khartoum, Sudan. Five national football groups helped create it: Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa. They had talked about it at a big meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1956.

CAF is Africa's part of FIFA, which is the world's football governing body. CAF organizes and manages many football events for both national teams and clubs in Africa. These include big tournaments like the Africa Cup of Nations and the Women's Africa Cup of Nations. CAF also controls the prize money and TV rights for these events. Starting in 2026, Africa will have at least 9 spots in the FIFA World Cup, and possibly 10.

CAF's first office was in Khartoum, Sudan. After a fire, it moved to a town near Cairo, Egypt, where it stayed until 2002. The first general secretary was Youssef Mohamad, and the first president was Abdel Aziz Abdallah Salem. The current president is Patrice Motsepe from South Africa. He was chosen on March 12, 2021.

History of CAF

CAF has a rich history, growing from a small group to a major football organization in Africa. It has played a big role in developing football across the continent.

CAF Anthem

In 2007, CAF held a competition for African music makers to create an anthem. This song, without words, was meant to show the rich culture and music of Africa.

CAF Leadership

CAF is led by a president and several vice presidents. They work together to make important decisions about football in Africa. The current leaders are:

Name	Position
Patrice Motsepe	President
Augustin Senghor	1st Vice President
Ahmed Yahya	2nd Vice President
Waberi Souleiman	3rd Vice President
Seidou Mbombo Njoya	4th Vice President
Kanizat Ibrahim	5th Vice President
Véron Mosengo-Omba	General Secretary
Frederick Acheampong	General Coordinator

Members and Zones

CAF has 54 member associations from different countries across Africa. These members are grouped into five regional zones to help manage football activities better.

African regional federations UNAF (North Africa) WAFU (West Africa) UNIFFAC (Central Africa) CECAFA (East Africa) COSAFA (Southern Africa)

UNAF (Union of North African Football) - 5 members
WAFU (West African Football Union) - 16 members
UNIFFAC (Central African Football Federations' Union) - 8 members
CECAFA (Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations) - 12 members
COSAFA (Council of Southern Africa Football Associations) - 14 members

Some areas in Africa are not part of CAF or any other football group. These include Mayotte and the Chagos Islands. Also, some states with limited international recognition, like Western Sahara and Somaliland, have their own teams but are not CAF members.

CAF Competitions

CAF organizes many exciting football competitions for both national teams and clubs.

National Team Competitions

CAF hosts major tournaments for men's and women's national teams.

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is the biggest men's tournament. It started in 1957.
The Women's Africa Cup of Nations is the top women's tournament, launched in 1991. It helps teams qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup.
Other national team competitions include the African Nations Championship (for players who play in their home country's league), and tournaments for different age groups like U-23, U-20, and U-17.
CAF also organizes competitions for futsal and beach soccer national teams.

Club Competitions

CAF also runs competitions for football clubs in Africa.

The CAF Champions League is the most important club competition. It features the best teams from national leagues across Africa.
The CAF Confederation Cup is another major club tournament. It was created in 2004 by combining two older competitions: the African Cup Winners' Cup and the CAF Cup.
The winners of the Champions League and Confederation Cup play each other in the CAF Super Cup.
The CAF Women's Champions League is a newer competition for women's club teams, started in 2021.

Sponsorship

Big companies help fund CAF competitions.

In 2004, MTN, a South African company, signed a big sponsorship deal.
In 2009, Orange, a French company, took over as a major sponsor.
Since 2016, TotalEnergies (formerly Total S.A.), a French energy company, has been the main sponsor.
Current main sponsors also include 1xBet and TikTok.

FIFA World Rankings (African Teams)

FIFA ranks national football teams from all over the world. African teams are also part of these rankings, showing how well they are doing compared to others.

Men's Teams in World Cup

African teams have made their mark in the FIFA World Cup.

Egypt was the first African team to play in the World Cup in 1934.
Morocco was the first African team to reach the knockout stage (Round of 16) in 1986.
Cameroon was the first African team to reach the quarter-finals in 1990.
In 2010, South Africa became the first African country to host the World Cup.
In 2022, Morocco made history by becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals, finishing fourth overall.

Women's Teams in World Cup

African women's teams also compete on the world stage.

Nigeria has participated in every FIFA Women's World Cup since its start in 1991, reaching the quarter-finals in 1999.
Other African teams like Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, and Zambia have also played in the Women's World Cup.

Olympic Games Football (Men's)

African men's teams have had success at the Olympic Games.

Nigeria won the gold medal in 1996.
Cameroon won the gold medal in 2000.
Egypt has participated in the men's Olympic football tournament many times.

Olympic Games Football (Women's)

African women's teams have also competed in the Olympic Games.

Nigeria has participated multiple times.
South Africa and Zambia have also represented Africa at the Olympics.

CAF Best Footballers of the Century

In 1999, CAF chose the best African players of the 20th century.

Best Male Player

George Weah (Liberia) was named the Best Player of the Century.
Other top players included Roger Milla (Cameroon) and Abedi Pele (Ghana).

Best Goalkeeper

Joseph-Antoine Bell (Cameroon) was chosen as the Best Goalkeeper of the Century.

Best Women's Footballer

Uche Eucharia Ngozi (Nigeria) was named the Best Women's Footballer of the Century.

CAF Golden Jubilee Best Players Poll

In 2007, to celebrate 50 years of CAF, a poll was held to find the top 30 African players from 1957 to 2007.

Roger Milla (Cameroon) was ranked number one in this poll.
Other famous players on the list included Mahmoud El Khatib (Egypt), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Abedi Pele (Ghana), and George Weah (Liberia).

International Top Goalscorers

Many African players have scored a lot of goals for their national teams. Here are some of the top goalscorers:

Rank	Player	Nation	Goals	Matches	Career span
1	Godfrey Chitalu	Zambia	79	111	1968–1980
2	Kinnah Phiri	Malawi	71	117	1973–1981
3	Hossam Hassan	Egypt	68	176	1985–2006
4	Didier Drogba	Ivory Coast	65	105	2002–2014
5	Mohamed Salah	Egypt	56	98	2011–present
6	Samuel Eto'o	Cameroon	56	118	1997–2014
7	Asamoah Gyan	Ghana	51	109	2003–2021