It was just four years ago when the eyes of the world were fixated on South Africa for the biggest and most glamorous footballing feast. With the sounds of vuvuzelas reverberating around the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, the iconic image of the late Nelson Mandela taking center stage during the closing ceremony highlighted the spirit and success which had been the 2010 World Cup. Now it’s Brazil’s turn, under the watching eyes of the imposing Christ the Redeemer statue, to open its doors to the fanatic footballing world and put on a flawless show.

Among all the hype, glitz and glamor lies the crucial matter at hand: football. Nations from all over the world will ascend upon South America’s largest country to compete for the coveted golden FIFA World Cup Trophy. Despite the crumbling stadiums, safety warnings and national protests, it seems that Brazil is now ready to host the competition and put on an example of how to organize and deliver a successful competition as the 2016 Rio Olympics gradually creeping on the horizon.

In it to win it

The usual suspects are being tipped to grace the later stages of the competition: hosts Brazil, Argentina, Germany and reigning champions Spain, all traveling with squads brimming with talent and experience. However, one would be ignorant to ignore the noises coming from Africa; hefty government budgets invested and hoards of talent gracing pitches in Europe’s elite competitions show why these nations should not be overlooked.

Although African countries are still lagging behind the more developed in terms of grass roots and development, confidence and optimism is spreading throughout their camps and expectations are mounting more and more each year. Supporters are talking up their respective countries’ chances of causing an upset in Brazil this summer.

Africa sees five of its nations heading to Brazil: Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana. All of these countries house squads splattered with stars playing at the highest levels around the globe. Will the African nations be fazed by the occasion? No. “The players will not be overwhelmed by the occasion,” Peter Auf der Heyde, experienced South African sports journalist told ChinAfrica. “A player who has played with his club in the Camp Nou in Spain against Barcelona in a Champions League match will not be intimidated when he takes on Germany, for example,” he added.

In contrast to the increasing African talent mixing it up with European finest, there is still the issue that Africa is lacking in football development, with much of the funding by organizations such as FIFA (through the GOAL Project) or European clubs who fund academies in the hope of finding players for their clubs. “I would say that the biggest influence on the progress of African football has been the ever-increasing number of players playing in top leagues throughout Europe,” he said.

High expectations

A common consensus among the footballing experts is that Ghana, out of all the African countries involved, is most likely to go the furthest in the competition. Veronica Commey, Ghanaian sports expert, told ChinAfrica, “The popular opinion is that Ghana’s Black Stars, Africa’s best representative in recent times, could go beyond the quarter-finals. However, the quality of depth in the Ivorian squad puts them in the best possible position.”

Heyde echoed these opinions and also expects Ghana to be a surprise package, “I think Ghana probably has the strongest squad, but they have the most difficult draw of the African teams and will be hard-pressed to advance out of their group,” he said. “If they manage to qualify for the knock-out stages, anything is possible.”

Current 2013 African Cup of Nations champions, Nigeria, currently ranked 33rd in the world, are in a group which they will feel comfortable of progressing in. “On paper, you have to say Nigeria is likely to qualify from the group stages,” Christopher Opuko, Editor in Chief of footyghana, told ChinAfrica. “You would expect the Super Eagles to make it alongside Argentina ahead of Bosnia and Iran, but then again, football is a sport of surprises so anything is possible.”

Finishing touches

Preparation is always vital in the build-up to a worldwide tournament, most of the African nations have been happy to keep theirs under wraps. “Preparations have been low key but ongoing,” Opuko said.  “Ghana lost 0-1 to Montenegro in a friendly match recently and there are plans for the Black Stars to play against a local select side in Ghana later this month, before a high profile friendly against the Netherlands. Scouts are also monitoring Ghana’s opponents and the technical team has been traveling around, checking on the fitness and availability of players.”

Cameroon, captained by the legendary Samuel Eto’o, has been placed in a tough group alongside Brazil, Croatia and Mexico. Although not many would expect to see them qualify, they possess the quality and prowess to cause an upset. Ranking 59th in the world, a qualification to the knock-out rounds would be seen as a triumph for a country who has struggled throughout recent competitions. The same can be said for Algeria, who also find themselves facing up to the daunting opposition of Belgium, Russia and South Korea.  

The highest ranked African team in the World Cup is Côte d’Ivoire, who stand at an impressive 17th in the world. Their captain and talisman is Didier Drogba, who still possesses the ability to destroy even the strongest defenses around. Facing The Elephants are Japan, Columbia and Greece; many punters predict Drogba’s men will top the group and challenge for a quarter final place. Worry looms around whether players can avoid the clashes of ego and temperament that have had negatives effects on them in the past.

No African team has ever reached the semi-final of the FIFA World Cup; Ghana was controversially knocked out in the quarter final in 2010 by Uruguay. This could be the year the world sees a team in the semis from the rapidly developing continent. Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire stand out as the best hopes and will be doing everything in their power to be there. Playing in the searing heat and testing altitude will be a challenge in itself. Coming up against the top players in the world will be no surprise and confidence should be as high as it’s ever been. Come July 13, once the last ball has been kicked, the African continent will be looking back on the world’s greatest soccer tournament with either a sense of pride and joy or disappointment and regret. Hopefully it’s not the latter. CA