Africa came to the FIFA World Cup 2026 with ten teams and a point to prove. Nine of them are still standing.
Updated June 28, 2026
Before 2026, only six African countries had ever reached the knockout stage in World Cup history. Nine just did it in one tournament.
Tunisia were the only side who could not make it through. The rest did with the kind of character that makes you proud to watch African football.
South Africa reached the knockout stage for the first time in their history, having hosted the 2010 World Cup without getting out of the group on home soil. Cape Verde advanced on their debut with three draws and zero wins, becoming the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup knockouts. DR Congo ended a 52 year absence from the World Cup with a comeback win to seal their place.
Senegal lost their first two games and responded by crushing Iraq 5-0 in a must-win final match to sneak through as one of the best third-placed teams. Algeria lost to Argentina in their opener, then scored twice in stoppage time against Austria to force a 3-3 thriller and go through.
Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire did not need the drama. They handled their business and moved on.
Ghana’s 0-0 draw with England became the most watched World Cup broadcast in BBC history, pulling 15.4 million viewers at its peak. A goalless game and still nobody turned off. That is the world paying attention to African football in a way it never quite has before.
Nine teams. Nine chances. Africa is not done. Check back after every round as we follow the journey to the end.
Updated July 4, 2026
Round of 32 is done. Nine African teams went in, only two survived. All but one exit came down to a single goal or extra time.
La Albiceleste needed all 120 minutes to see off Cape Verde. Messi opened the scoring, but the smallest nation in the draw leveled it twice before an own goal in extra time settled it 3-2. Senegal led Belgium 2-0 with five minutes to go, only for Lukaku to pull one back in the 86th and Tielemans to equalize in the 89th, sending it to extra time where Tielemans converted a penalty in the 125th minute to complete the comeback. It is now the latest goal ever scored in World Cup history.
The rest went down just as tight. South Africa's first ever knockout match ended 0-1 to Canada, also chasing their own first knockout win. Ivory Coast fell 1-2 to Erling Haaland's Norway. DR Congo led England from the seventh minute until Harry Kane struck twice in the final 15, leveling in the 75th and winning it in the 86th, 2-1. Ghana went out 0-1 to Colombia. Six of the seven decided by the finest of margins.
Algeria's night alone would end without the same drama, undone 0-2 by a Swiss side that never let them settle.
Morocco and Egypt are the two still standing. Mohamed Salah's Egypt needed a shootout to see off Australia, their first ever World Cup knockout win in their first ever knockout appearance. Achraf Hakimi's Morocco needed penalties of their own to edge the Netherlands 3-2 on spot kicks after a 1-1 draw, building on the run to the semifinals that made them the first African nation to reach that stage in Qatar 2022.
Two African teams remain in the competition. Here is who they face next.
Round of 16 Matchups
Two teams. Two chances. Come back after the Round of 16.
Ten African nations qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Cape Verde, South Africa, and DR Congo.
Morocco went furthest, reaching the quarterfinals before losing 2-0 to France. It made them the first African nation to reach the last eight in back-to-back World Cups, following their historic semifinal run at Qatar 2022.
Ghana’s 0-0 draw with England in the group stage became the most watched World Cup broadcast in BBC history, pulling 15.4 million viewers at its peak.
African Dishout delivers from African restaurants and grocery stores across the Bronx, Brooklyn, and beyond. Download the app or visit africandishout.com to find restaurants near you.
Because home should be just one tap away
