Bonus: Can an African team win the World Cup?
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 13 June 2026
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Half a century on from Pele's infamous prophecy that an African nation would win the World Cup before the year 2000, could the continent finally deliver its first World Cup in 2026? In a special bonus episode from the More than the Score podcast, the BBC’s Lee James is joined by former Democratic Republic of Congo captain Gabriel Zakuani and former Sierra Leone captain Steven Caulker to discuss the hopes of the ten African sides competing in the tournament.
They discuss the impact Morocco reaching the semi-finals in 2022 has had, the strength of Senegal and give their thoughts on when an African nation could win a World Cup.
Senegal’s Iliman Ndiaye tells the podcast they’re going to the tournament with the aim of winning it and they never fear anyone.
Former Nigeria captain Sunday Oliseh tells us it’s possible an African team could go one better than Morocco did in 2022 and that he wants to see an African team win the tournament in his lifetime. Plus, we also hear from Ghanian legend Micheal Essien.
More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:07.3 | If American politics is leaving you with a lot of questions, you're not alone. |
| 0:12.3 | On America's, we chat through what's really going on. |
| 0:15.3 | Make sense of what's happening in the US, with new podcast episodes arriving throughout the week. |
| 0:20.6 | America's, listen on BBC Science. |
| 0:24.2 | Hello, I'm Valerie Sanderson from the Global News podcast. With the World Cup now underway, |
| 0:29.3 | we thought you'd enjoy hearing from another BBC World Service podcast more than the score. |
| 0:34.6 | All through the tournament, they'll be telling stories of the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandums changing the game in ways the stats simply don't show. In this episode, they're asking if any of the 10 African nations in this year's tournament could win it all. You can listen to the whole episode right here and I hope you enjoy it. |
| 0:56.0 | Hello, I'm Lee James and this is More Than the Score, the BBC World Service podcast that's |
| 1:00.6 | looking at the stories beyond the score sheets at the FIFA Men's World Cup. Half a century on from |
| 1:05.9 | Pelle's infamous prophecy that an African nation will win the World Cup before the year 2000. |
| 1:11.8 | Could this finally be the tournament where the continent delivers its maiden global title? |
| 1:26.7 | Cameroon's run to the 1990 quarter final was the first of Africa's significant achievements, |
| 1:32.0 | emulated by Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010, and then surpassed by Morocco at the last tournament in Qatar in 2022, |
| 1:41.2 | when they produced the watershed moment reaching the semi-finals. |
| 1:45.2 | Now a record 10 African nations will compete at these World Cup finals. |
| 1:49.2 | Could one of those nations deliver Africa's first World Cup? |
| 1:53.6 | While the Democratic Republic of Congo are represented for only the second time in their history, |
| 1:58.0 | and their former captain, Gabrielle Zawaini, is with us, |
| 2:00.8 | along with the former |
| 2:01.4 | Sierra Leone captain and Premier League defender Stephen Colcar. Hello to you both. |
| 2:06.0 | Hi, how are you doing? Hi, Lee. Welcome both of you. This is a specially extended edition of |
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