WEST Africa has proved that it is the dominant force in football in the continent, following the conclusion of group matches at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nation, which saw the sub-region producing seven of the eight teams that qualified for the quarterfinals.

After the likes of Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Cape Verde reached the last eight, Togo, Wednesday night, became the seventh team from West Africa that reached the knockout stage of the tournament.

The Emmanuel Adebayor-led Togolese team played a 1-1 draw with Tunisia, to qualify as runners-up from Group D.

Save for South Africa, who are representing Southern Africa, all the other teams in the competition are from the west, confirming the often-known truth that big football is in the west.

No team from North Africa reached the knockout round of the competition.