IT is no secret that the displays of African teams at the venerated FIFA World Cup have been like a roller-coaster ride.

Indeed, right from the maiden edition of the World Cup in 1930, African teams struggled to leave their mark on the greatly esteemed football championship.

However, at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, African teams broke new ground in the competition to open up an unprecedented and exciting, new chapter in the continent’s football history.

Right from the get-go, Cameroon played an absolute blinder in their opening encounter against then reigning world champions, Argentina, who was at the time wonderfully led by their inspirational skipper Diego Maradona.

With the odds stacked high against Cameroon, the 'Indomitable Lions' were nevertheless undaunted as they turned in an assured and superb display that saw them claim a famous albeit slim 1-0 win over the stunned South Americans.

That unforgettable victory was a real corker but there was more heady football glory to come.

Playing with a distinct swagger in their stride, Cameroon qualified for the second round, where inspired by their evergreen seasoned striker Roger Milla they dispatched Colombia to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup, which was a remarkable first for continental football at the time.

Distressingly though, England booted the 'Indomitable Lions' out of the 1990 World Cup in the quarterfinals but the Lions had made their point, which was that African teams could no longer be regarded as mere pushovers.

In the wake of that memorable World Cup in Italy, many of the game’s true greats predicted that African teams would one day dominate the grandest stage in global football.

Nonetheless, that prediction proved to be off the mark as African sides failed to even equal Cameroon’s feat at both the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, much to the dismay of keen football enthusiasts.

Four years later at the 2002 World Cup, the 'Lions of Teranga' (Senegal’s nickname) reminded all observers about the prowess of African teams when they went on a storybook run through the thrilling football spectacle right up to the quarterfinals, where they unfortunately exited the championship.

Indeed, multiple pundits expected that African teams would now ascend to undreamt heights following Senegal’s laudable exertions at the 2002 World Cup.

But, as in the past, African teams failed to improve their displays at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where they botched up their overall performance.

At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, though, the 'Black Stars' of Ghana produced glittering showings en route to advancing to the quarterfinals, where they heartbreakingly cruelly lost to Uruguay.

With hopes high among African football devotees heading into the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, the continent’s representatives sadly came a cropper at both prestigious football championships.

Despite that, though, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, one African team nearly made it all the way through to the championship’s finale and that side was Morocco.

Indeed, Morocco’s stellar feat marked the first time in history that an African side had qualified for the semi-finals, which was an accomplishment that was greeted with widespread jubilation on the continent.

In light of that, it is crystal clear then that African sides possess the requisite ability to even win the whole shebang at forthcoming world cups.

Thus, it is hoped that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) can launch a new program to ensure that an African team can one day hoist aloft the coveted trophy.

After all, if Morocco could reach the semi-finals in fabulous style two years ago, then an African team could surely emerge as triumphant victors from the quadrennial football showpiece event.

All we need are the following sine qua nonattributes of confidence, fearlessness as well as hard-work, and the World Cup can most certainly be ours one day.