Historic World Cup Run Puts Millions Into African Football As Nigeria Watch From Afar

President/CEO of Tabic Sports Agency, Mr. Pascal Atuma, has hailed the historic achievement of the nine African nations that progressed to the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing it as a watershed moment not only for African football but also for the financial transformation of football across the continent.

Mr.Atuma, who is also an accomplished movie producer, said the unprecedented success of African teams at the global showpiece demonstrates the immense rewards of proper football administration, planning and investment.

The Abia-state born soccerpreneur, also noted that beyond the sporting glory, the financial windfall accruing to the qualified countries, their football associations and domestic clubs should serve as a powerful lesson for football administrators across Africa, particularly in Nigeria.

“Remember, the ten African teams that qualified for this year’s FIFA World Cup were already guaranteed $9 million each simply for participating in the group stage. Now, with nine African teams advancing to the Round of 32, each of those federations will receive an additional $10 million, plus $2.5 million upfront to cover training camps, travel and delegation expenses. It then means that, each of those nine countries will take home $12.5 million at this stage alone. You see, these are life-changing revenues that can transform football development if managed properly,” Atuma said.

The FIFA-licensed agent further highlighted FIFA’s expanded Club Benefits Programme, explaining that domestic clubs across Africa are also reaping substantial financial rewards simply for developing or having their players selected to represent their countries at the World Cup.

“We tend to overlook another major financial gain in this showpiece which is, FIFA’s Club Benefits Programme. At this 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA is paying clubs a minimum of $5,000 per day for every player released to the tournament as part of the expanded $355 million Club Benefits Programme. What this means is that local clubs like Ghana’s Accra Hearts of Oak, whose goalkeeper Benjamin Asare is Ghana’s first-choice goalkeeper now, as well as Medeama SC and Nations FC with one selected player each, are each guaranteed nothing less than $100,000 for now because this already about the 19th day of the world cup. Egyptian clubs will also benefit with 15 home-based players, South Africa have 19, Morocco included one, Algeria two, and even Tunisia, despite failing to progress, had six home-based players in their World Cup squad. These are direct financial rewards flowing back into local football, strengthening clubs and encouraging youth development”, he lamented.

According to him, the absence of the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the tournament, is a costly failure with consequences extending far beyond sporting disappointment.

“It is painful to imagine honestly speaking. That kind of money could improve infrastructure, youth academies, player welfare and the overall sports economy in Nigeria.”

He maintained that Nigeria possesses one of the deepest pools of football talent in Africa and should never have been absent from a World Cup of this magnitude.

“A country blessed with enormous football talent and regarded as the most populous Black nation in the world failed to qualify for a tournament where African football is making history. It’s quite unfortunate to say the least and going forward it should be a moment of sober reflection for our football administrators.

Mr. Atuma while attributing the successes of these nine African countries to good planning, sound administration and strategic investment to deliver results both on and off the pitch, congratulated the teams for flying the continent’s flag proudly and expressed optimism that their achievements would inspire reforms across African football.

“The success of these countries has shown that Africa is no longer just participating at the World Cup you know. We are competing, progressing and earning unprecedented financial returns and hopefully, Nigeria learns from this experience and returns stronger, because our football heritage deserves to be represented on the biggest stage in world football”, he added.

Meanwhile, South Africa and Co-host Canada will kick-start the round of 32 matches tonight June 28 in California.

The rest of the fixtures of round of 32 involving African teams, Morocco will take on the Netherlands in Monterrey, Ivory Coast against Norway in Texas on Tuesday June 30, DR Congo versus England in Atlanta and Belgium versus Senegal in Washington will take place on Wednesday July 1, while Algeria against Switzerland in Vancouver, Egypt versus Australia in Texas and Cape Verde against Argentina in Miami are scheduled for Friday July 3.