With the 2022 FIFA World Cup set to get underway in just under a month, Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly has explained why African teams should back themselves to win the grand showpiece.
No non-European and non-South American country has ever won the World Cup since the tournament's inception. The furthest any African country has progressed in the tournament was the quarter-finals, with Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana in 2010 all making it to the last night.
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Reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions, the Lions of Teranga, go into the competition as the highest-ranked nation from the continent sitting eighteenth on FIFA's rankings.
Skipper of the side, Koulibaly, has now insisted that African teams should be more brave and confident of their chances to go all the way and win the acclaimed crown.
"African nations are lacking self-esteem and self-awareness that they can really win a World Cup," the 31-year-old told BBC Sport Africa.
"We consider that going past the group stage is a good thing, but we should set higher goals for ourselves.
"I don't think that the French team or the English team are happy with going through the group stages - they want to go further.
"We should have the same mindset. That's what I am trying to bring to Senegal.
"I think it's time that an African country delivers and wins the World Cup, because we are a very talented continent. We have great players."
Senegal have been placed in Group A alongside hosts Qatar, Ecuador, and the Netherlands. Other continental hopes lie with the likes of Ghana, Morocco, Cameroon, and Tunisia.
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