FIFA World Cup 2026: Qualification is “a dream” that Mozambique “believes in” – Chiquinho Conde

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FIFA World Cup 2026: Qualification is “a dream” that Mozambique “believes in” – Chiquinho Conde

3:17 CAT | 08 Oct 2024

FILE - Chiquinho Conde believes in Mozambique's qualification for the World Cup 2026 [File photo: Lusa]

In an interview with Lusa, Mozambique’s national football team coach, Chiquinho Conde, admitted that qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is “a dream”, but one in which the group he leads “believes”.

“I think that when you believe in the work you are doing, and the results are there for all to see, it gives you the opportunity to dream. Now, desire is always the soul of success, when you want something great and you truly commit to it, you start to believe that anything is possible,” Conde said.

With four games played in Group G for the next World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, from June 11 to July 19, 2026, the ‘Mambas’ team is leading, with three wins, as is Algeria (who already won 2-0 in Maputo).

“We know that there will be other strong candidates, like Algeria, like Guinea Conakry itself, these are teams with greater maturity than us, but we have to demonstrate all our strength, all our will on the field and we have seen that it is possible to get there,” the coach said.

But Conde admitted that qualifying was “a dream”.

“Today, we are on the list of the 100 best teams in the world, which is fantastic. We were in 66th place some time ago, when I was still playing, and the outlook is exactly this: always believe in the process, respect all our guidelines, create models so that the players also feel more comfortable and improve on what they were less good at,” he explained.

In a group in which the first-placed team will have direct access to the final phase of the competition and the second to a possible play-off, Mozambique also has competition from Botswana (who have already won away, 2-3), Guinea Conakry (defeated at home by the ‘Mambas’, 1-0), Somalia (Mozambican victory at home, 2-1), while the debut against Uganda is scheduled for March, in Maputo.

“The group believes. This group has become very strong, very cohesive, they fundamentally identified with our ideas, our model. So that they also feel comfortable in their environment and things flow naturally. We have become a real team. We are playing as a true team (…) putting aside all our egos, all our individual interests, for the sake of the collective of the institution,” acknowledged the former Portugal forward.

The Mozambican Football Federation (FMF) announced last August the renewal of Chiquinho Conde’s contract until January 31, 2026, with the “important” mission of qualifying the team for the 2025 African Cup of Nations (CAN) and the World Cup.

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