Where a World Cup Spot Is Like Gold Dust

A total of 54 teams in Africa were competing to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. That number by itself isn't so unusual: in Europe, there were 55, and in Asia, 46. But when you compare these figures to the number of allocated spots up for grabs for the competition per region, some very clear differences emerge.

For each of Africa's allocated berths at the World Cup, there were 11 teams competing to make the cut, meaning five teams went through to the competition, and 49 stayed at home. Contrast this with South America, where just two teams were fighting it out for each one of the region's berths, and the massive gulf in World Cup opportunity becomes apparent. Ten teams in South America (CONMEBOL confederation) entered the qualifying stage of the competition, with five places made available to them (one of which via an inter-confederation play-off eventually won by teams from AFC and CONCACAF).

Africa's place at the undesirable end of this scale has prompted calls from within the continent for a reform of the qualifying process and a more globally representative solution. Speaking about the lack of opportunities for African teams to play at this level, former Cameroon player Patrick M'Boma told Al Jazeera: "The favorites of the competition will always remain the same, the ones who have more experience in the history of the World Cup.”