"An African team will win the World Cup by 2010." That is the bold statement once made by Brazilian legend Pele.

The prediction will certainly not come true this time around, after Pele's own Brazilian compatriots swept Africa's remaining nation, Ghana, aside and out of the competition.

A chorus of boos echoed around Dortmund's Westfalenstadion as the Brazilians strolled to a 3-0 victory without ever getting out of first gear.

The Africans would appear to have a long, long way to go before they can realistically lay claim to capturing football's greatest prize.

Some may point to the missing Michael Essien as a reason for Ghana's failure to put up more of a fight.

The Chelsea midfielder was instrumental in driving his team to qualification for the knockout phases, but missed the Brazil game through suspension.

But the absence of the man known as the 'Bison' also highlights the lack of strength in depth existing in African football.

Anyone who watched the game will know the Ghanaians matched the Brazilians for speed and skill, creativity and commitment.

For much of the game they were the better side. But the simple truth is they lacked a cutting edge, looking incapable of putting the ball in the net if they had been playing all night.

With the exception of the Ivory Coast, a quick glance at Africa's other representatives' goals for column tells a similar story.

Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor is Togo's only instantly recognisable player - and few of his team-mates provided evidence to suggest things will change in the near future.

Having been the first to arrive in Germany, the Togans were one of the first on the plane home, failing to pick up a point from Group G.

The fact internal wranglings and financial disputes - as synonymous with African football as its downright dodgy defending - resulted in coach Otto Pfister quitting on the tournament's eve - before changing his mind again - will hardly have helped.

The Angolans left Germany with pride intact, beaten just once - a 1-0 defeat to Portugal and having gained a 1-1 draw against the impressive Mexicans.

But with goalkeeper Joao Ricardo without a club for the past year, four of the team playing in Angola, three in Portugal's second division and one in Kuwait, world champions elect they are not.

The Ivory Coast were unfortunate to be drawn in the toughest of groups, with worse sides featuring in the second round.

In Premiership stars Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Eboue and Kole Toure, soon to be joined by Spurs target Didier Zokora, there is a strong spine to the side.

The Elephants deserve credit for giving Argentina a game in their 2-1 defeat, which is more than can be said for Serbia and Montenegro, but like Ghana they came to rue wayward finishing in their game with the Dutch.

What would the likes of Samuel Eto'o, El Hadji Diouf and Yakubu have to say?

Watching some of Africa's representatives, quite how Cameroon, Senegal and Nigeria failed to qualify for this World Cup remains as much a mystery as what was going through Graham Poll's head last week.

The fact is the re-emergence of the established world order in Germany this summer has put paid to any Cinderella story the tournament's smaller nations dreamed of.

The unfamiliar surroundings of Japan and South Korea saw the latter joined by fellow outsiders Turkey, USA and Senegal - who equalled Cameroon's 1990 record quarter-final appearance.

But football's return to the more familiar surroundings of Germany has been followed by the re-emergence of equally familiar quarter-finalists, with seven of the eight seeded sides still in the competition.

Only Spain have been eliminated - at the hands of France - and they achieved maximum points in the group phase.

Only Uruguay are missing, as past winners Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Italy, France and of course, England, all compete to relive former glories.

With six European sides and and the two South American giants (most of whose players play in Europe), exactly how much the European climate helps is open to debate.

It certainly will not hurt, but Greece's victory at Euro 2004 proves the argument is flawed.

So with the World Cup trophy conveniently next heading for South Africa in 2010, could Pele actually be right for once?

The return of Africa's own established order might help, but anyone who believes a man who described Nicky Butt as "England's best player" really should know better.