If you’ve only caught a few World Cup highlights—or haven’t been following the tournament at all—here’s one story worth knowing.
While soccer fans have been focused on the world’s biggest sporting event, a historic moment has quietly unfolded for Africa.
A record nine African nations survived the tournament’s opening round and advanced to the Round of 32. Only Tunisia was eliminated, meaning 90% of Africa’s teams are still alive in the tournament.
For a continent that has long fought for more respect in international soccer, it’s a milestone that has people asking an exciting question:
Could this finally be the year an African nation reaches the World Cup final?
More Teams — But Also Better Teams
This year’s World Cup is the first to feature 48 countries, up from 32 teams in every tournament since 1998.
The expansion allowed every region of the world to send more teams. Europe still received the most places because its countries have historically dominated international soccer, while Africa doubled its representation—from five teams in the last World Cup to 10 this year.
But simply sending more teams doesn’t explain what happened.
With nine of Africa’s 10 countries advancing, the continent proved it isn’t just participating in greater numbers—it’s competing at a higher level than ever before.
The nine nations still alive are Algeria, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal and South Africa.
More Than Just Making Up The Numbers
Africa’s success isn’t just about how many teams advanced. It’s also about how they played.
Several African countries produced some of the tournament’s biggest surprises.
DR Congo earned the nation’s first-ever World Cup victory, coming from behind to defeat Uzbekistan and reach the knockout round for the first time.
Cape Verde, making its World Cup debut, became one of the tournament’s Cinderella stories by holding former champion Spain scoreless and battling Uruguay to a draw to earn a place in the Round of 32.
Those performances have convinced many soccer experts that Africa’s rise isn’t a fluke. It’s the result of years of investment in youth academies, better coaching and more African players starring in Europe’s top professional leagues.
Morocco Leads the Way
Most soccer experts believe Morocco remains Africa’s best hope to make even more history.
In 2022, Morocco became the first African nation ever to reach a World Cup semifinal, defeating soccer powers Spain and Portugal before finally losing to France.
This year’s Moroccan team is once again considered one of the tournament’s strongest.
What Happens Now?
The tournament has entered the Round of 32, where every match is simple:
Win and advance. Lose and go home.
There are no more standings or second chances.
To reach the semifinals, a team must win three consecutive knockout matches—the Round of 32, the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals.
The semifinals begin July 14, with the World Cup championship scheduled for July 19.
A Changing Soccer landscape
For decades, African teams were often viewed as talented but unpredictable. Every four years, fans hoped one country might make a surprise run before eventually being eliminated.
This World Cup feels different.
Instead of relying on one Cinderella team, Africa has nine countries still competing, with Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Egypt all viewed as legitimate threats to advance deep into the tournament.
Whether an African nation wins the World Cup this year remains to be seen.
But one thing has already changed.
For years, the question was whether an African team could pull off a surprise.
Today, the question is how far Africa’s teams can go.
That’s one of the biggest stories of the 2026 FIFA World Cup—and one worth watching, even if you haven’t followed the tournament until now.