'Hope they prove me wrong' — Austin Okocha predicts bleak outing for African teams at 2022 FIFA World Cup

The 22nd edition of the quadrennial international men’s football championship will run from late November to mid-December.

Super Eagles legend Austin Okocha has expressed his fears regarding the performance of African representatives at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The black continent will be represented at the Mundial by Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Cameroon.

The West African duo of Senegal and Ghana, as well as Central Africa’s Cameroon, are the only countries to have reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

But the pedigree of the teams in the competition has not inspired hopes of a great outing at Qatar 2022 in Super Eagles legend Austin Okocha.

While Okocha admits that Senegal and Morocco have a chance to create one or two upsets, the former Paris Saint Germain midfielder fears the other three teams may be the whipping boys of their groups.

“It’s the first time that I’m not confident enough about Africa’s chances in the World Cup,” Okocha said, as per Carton Sport.

“Maybe they can surprise us and do very well. If you look at Asia and North America, they seem stronger and more advanced than us. This means bad news for our football.

“We were already 50 paces behind South America and Europe, and now North America and Asia seem ahead of us. We have hopes in Senegal and Morocco; they seem the strongest. Tunisia, Ghana, and Cameroon seem to be steppingstone for other teams to reach the knockout stages.

“With their current form, I fear they will go home after three matches. Hopefully, they prove me wrong.”

Senegal will fancy their chances in Group A, where they have been classed together with hosts Qatar, Ecuador, and the Netherlands.

Tunisia are in Group D alongside France, Australia, and Denmark. Canada, Belgium, and Croatia are with Morocco in Group F. Cameroon will battle Switzerland, Brazil, and Serbia in Group G.

Ghana will vie for a knockout round ticket with Portugal, Korea Republic, and Uruguay in Group H.