Ghana legend Asamoah Gyan says it is his prayer that an African country will one day win the World Cup.
Gyan, however, is unsure when an African country will win football's most prestigious prize as the continent's five representatives, including Ghana, prepare for the Qatar tournament in November.
The farthest an African country has reached at the Mundial is the quarter-final round; Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana with Gyan in 2010.
Gyan claims that the quarter-finals have been Africa's long-standing boundary simply because the continent has made no calculated attempt.
“We have to make sure we plan ahead, I think that is our problem. There are some countries that plan years ahead – let’s say ‘in 10 years we have to win the World Cup’. So, it’s a plan people take, and that’s why I’m saying it’s a process.
“I’m sure an African country will win it one-day, but I don’t know when,” Gyan said in a recent interview.
On a tour of Ghana as part of his ambassadorial duties for Qatar's Legacy ambition, Samuel Eto'o expressed confidence that an African country would one day win the World Cup.
Kurt Okraku, President of the Ghana Football Association, and Hon. Mustapha Ussif, Sports Minister, have been more specific.
During the trophy's stop in Ghana during its world tour, the FA president and sports minister were both upbeat about Ghana's chances of winning the 2022 World Cup.
Gyan, Africa's leading scorer at the World Cup, shares their optimism and recalls fondly Ghana's inaugural campaign.
“As an African, that is my prayer, I want an African country to also win it, that is what every African is hoping for [but] it depends how the teams approach the tournament. I remember in 2006, Czech Republic was number 3 in the World, United States, number 5 and then there was Germany and Italy. So we[Ghana] were underdogs, everyone thought we were going home.
“But we were able to get through to the next stage of the competition. When you are going to a tournament, how you approach it matters, not the kind of players you have. Definitely, statistically, there are favorites, but you have to go and see what happens.”
African pundits are pessimistic about the five, with only Senegal, who will face the Netherlands, Qatar, and Ecuador in Group A, having a realistic chance of progressing to the second round.
Tunisia are in Group D with defending champions France, Denmark and Australia or Peru and Morocco in Group F beside Belgium, Canada and Croatia.
Cameroon is in Group G with Brazil, Serbia, and Switzerland, while Ghana is in Group H with Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea.
No African team has ever advanced to the World Cup semi-finals. In previous tournaments, Cameroon, Senegal, and Ghana all came close to making history.