The East Africa region has the potential of sending a team to the 2022 Fifa World Cup, former Cecafa Secretary General, Sam Nyamweya has said.

Nyamweya who also served as the Kenya Football Federation (FKF) boss, but under whose tenure the local game was on its knees due to poor management, said the historic event that saw four of the East Africa nations booked tickets, for the first time, to the Africa Cup of Nations is a sign that the region is slowing bridging the gap with the other regional powerhouses such as the west and North Africa.

Kenya, Uganda Tanzania and Burundi all booked tickets for the continental showpiece set to be staged between June 21 and July 19 in Cairo, Egypt.

Other than Uganda, who will be making their second consecutive appearances at the continental stage, the other team had waited for at least over a decade and a half to grace the event.

Kenya last took part in the AFCON in 2004 in Tunisia while Tanzania ended a 39-year wait to join Burundi who will be making their maiden appearance.

The qualification, Nyamweya, believes, is a reflection of the growth of East African football and said at least one CECAFA member nation could finally break the jinx by joining 47 other nations in Qatar in 2022.

“The fact that four of our teams have qualified for the next edition of Afcon, is the first step they have made and come next edition of Fifa World Cup in Qatar, Cecafa region stands a very big chance of being represented following the expansion of teams,” Nyamweya said in a statement seen by SPORTSNEWS AFRICA.

Nyaweya, however, challenged the four nations to have adequate preparations ahead of the continental showpiece.

“It is important for our teams to take note that qualification for Afcon is just the first phase and that the hard part begins by preparing adequately for the tournament which brings together the best footballing nations in the continent.”

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