Record African teams reach World Cup Round of 32, but seven eliminated in dramatic fashion

Africa's campaign in the 2026 World Cup has concluded with a mix of historic achievements and disappointing exits. A record nine teams from the continent reached the round of 32, surpassing previous benchmarks. However, the momentum stalled dramatically in the knockout stages, with seven of those nine teams eliminated within days, leaving Morocco and Egypt as the sole flagbearers for Africa in North America.

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For years, the Confederation of African Football had argued that five automatic slots were insufficient for its 54 member nations, pointing out that only nine per cent of African countries were represented at previous World Cups compared to about half of South America’s members.

Initially, the expanded 48-team format, granting Africa nine guaranteed slots plus a tenth through playoffs, seemed promising. Nine of the ten African representatives successfully advanced from the group stage, outperforming both Asian and Concacaf confederations. Only Tunisia failed to progress, marking a record for minutes trailed in their group matches. This strong group stage performance fueled optimism for deeper runs in the tournament.

However, the continent's fortunes shifted sharply in the round of 32. Most of the eliminations came down to agonizing single-goal defeats. Senegal, for instance, led Belgium 2-0 with four minutes remaining, only to concede twice and lose via a contentious penalty in extra time. Cape Verde pushed defending champions Argentina to extra time, ultimately succumbing to an own goal in the 111th minute, ending their remarkable run.

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Senegal appeared destined for the last sixteen after leading Belgium 2-0 with four minutes remaining, only to concede twice before extra time and lose to a contentious penalty deep into the additional period.

Other African sides also experienced heartbreaking exits. Ivory Coast, after leading Germany in the group stage, suffered a similar fate against Norway. DR Congo, despite leading England for significant periods, eventually ran out of steam. Ghana created few chances after conceding an early goal against Colombia, and South Africa lost to a stoppage-time goal against hosts Canada, a result underscoring their decline from their 2024 Africa Cup of Nations semifinal appearance. Algeria's straightforward defeat to Switzerland was the only exit that clearly reflected a significant gap in quality.

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Cape Verde pushed defending champions, Argentina, to extra time and looked capable of forcing a shootout before an own goal in the 111th minute ended their remarkable run.