What African sport does with the world's attention is decided long before anyone starts watching (By Libby Allen)

By Libby Allen, Vice President: Brand & Creative, APO Group ( https://APO-opa.com ). I work in branding and communications, so I spent this World Cup watching something on top of football: what happens to a country's name when several hundred million people hear it for the first time. Cabo Verde has a population of about 530,000 and was ranked 67th in the world before its debut in June. It drew 0–0 with Spain, who went on to win the tournament, and took Argentina to extra time in the Round of 32. A supporter in Miami put it to Al Jazeera like this: "Now the whole world knows about Cabo Verde – that's how you pronounce it, not Cape Verde." That’s national brand equity acquired in three weeks. Egypt makes another powerhouse story. It had never won a World Cup match until this year, where it reached the Round of 16. Interest in young Egyptian players is surging. Eighteen-year-old striker Hamza Abdelkarim signed permanently to Barcelona in June. Attention has a shelf life, but what lasts is the structure built underneath. Morocco started in 2008 with a national plan for football development. The Mohammed VI Academy followed a year later. Now, Morocco sits sixth in the world. Diaspora p