Underdogs, history and late goals – Africa’s World Cup
News
Africa sent its largest ever contingent to the 2026 Fifa World Cup, but while there were undoubtedly some great storylines, how successful was the tournament overall for the 10 teams who travelled?
After nine nations made it into the knockout stage, Confederation of African Football (Caf) boss Patrice Motsepe said they had made the continent’s 1.6 billion people proud.
But only Morocco made it to the quarter-finals, while exiting after conceding late goals was a recurring fate which befell five sides – with Senegal and Egypt squandering two-goal leads as they crashed out in dramatic style.
Details
The Egyptians and DR Congo did at least register their first wins at a World Cup, while Cape Verde, Ivory Coast and South Africa joined them in getting past the group stage for the first time.
With the World Cup returning to Africa in 2030, when Morocco co-hosts alongside Spain and Portugal, what can the continent’s sides learn from the first 48-team tournament?
Analysis
Cape Verde were undeniably the story of the World Cup, with the debutants reaching the last 32 after draws against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.
The Blue Sharks then came close to pulling off one of the all-time upsets against defending champions Argentina, fighting back from a goal down twice before losing 3-2 after extra time.
Goalkeeper Vozinha became a viral sensation with each save, his followers on Instagram going from 50,000 to over 29 million by the end of the tournament. The 40-year-old’s sudden fame even saw a newly-discovered species of sea slug named after him.
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