African teams have made history with nine out the 10 teams qualifying for the 2026 World Cup advancing to the knockout stage of the tournament, after a previous record of two.
News
This follows the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 3-1 victory against Uzbekistan and Algeria’s stunning 3-3 draw against Austria on Saturday night.
After 17 days of competition, Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde, Egypt, Congo, and Algeria are now through to the round of 32.
The only country not to make it to the next round was Tunisia.
Details
Morocco and South Africa were the first African teams to book their spots to the knockout stage, with the latter advancing for the first time their history.
Cape Verde are having debut World Cup campaign to remember finishing second in Group H ahead of Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.
Only six African countries had ever qualified for the knockout stage, several of them multiple times, but the most in the same year had been two, in 2014 and 2022.
Analysis
This year’s tournament has shown the strength of African soccer goes deep, with Cape Verde and DR Congo both surprise names in the round of 32.
The DRC has a tall task in facing England next, but for now its team is soaking in the moment.
“It’s really historic for our country,” forward Fiston Mayele said after the game. “It’s the first win and the first knockout stage.”
Stay informed with the latest news on Wararka.so — your trusted source for Somalia and world news.
