African teams and athletes showcased their talents on the world stage in 2024, achieving significant milestones across various global competitions.
At the Paris Olympics, Morocco’s men’s football team earned a historic bronze medal, defeating Egypt 6-0 in the third-place match.
The result marked Africa’s first Olympic football medal since Nigeria’s triumph in 1996, with Soufiane Rahimi emerging as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals.
In women’s football, despite early exits for Nigeria and Zambia, Zambia’s Barbra Banda etched her name in the history books with a stunning hat-trick against Australia, becoming the first player ever to score three hat-tricks in Olympic history.
At the FIFA Junior World Cups, African teams displayed their potential.
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic, led by 16-year-old sensation Shakirat Moshood.
Meanwhile, Cameroon’s Naomi Eto shone at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, scoring four goals in four matches. Kenya’s U-17 women’s team achieved a historic milestone with their first-ever FIFA tournament victory, defeating Mexico 2-1.
Beach Soccer
Africa’s representation at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai and the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan faced hurdles, with Senegal, Egypt, Angola, and Libya unable to progress past the group stages.
Despite the glitch, this year demonstrated the potential of African teams to compete and excel on the global stage, reflecting the continent’s rich talent and relentless determination to make a mark on world football.
Individual Honours at CAF Awards
The CAF Awards 2024 celebrated Africa’s finest talents. Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman was named Men’s Player of the Year, while Zambia’s Barbra Banda took the women’s accolade.
South Africa’s goalkeeper Ronwen Williams emerged as a double winner, claiming both the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year and Interclub Player of the Year awards.
Emerse Fae was honoured as Men’s Coach of the Year for leading Côte d’Ivoire to AFCON glory.
Morocco and Angola Lead Rankings
Morocco ended the year as Africa’s top-ranked team in the FIFA rankings, despite a slight global drop to 14th. Angola, however, stole the spotlight with a meteoric rise of 32 places, reflecting their strong performances in 2024.
CAF 2024: A Year of Excellence
From Côte d’Ivoire’s AFCON triumph to Al Ahly’s dominance in club football and emerging youth talents, 2024 was a banner year for African football.
With the upcoming 2025 AFCON in Morocco and CHAN 2024, the stage is set for even greater moments in African football.
