It seems like the FIFA World Cup 2026 is slowly becoming one of Africa’s most important tournaments. The new format allowed a total of 10 nations to reach the finals, and a 9 of them managed to advance to the next stage. This unprecedented representation in the Round of 32 allowed African football fans to experience a lot of emotions, so it’s time to take a look at what happened for each country.
Morocco
At the time of writing, Morocco is the only representative at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The team did really well in the Group Stage after securing two victories and a draw, and this allowed it to advance to the next stage.
Speaking of the devil, Morocco had to go through hell against the Netherlands because it was the underdog. The tense penalty shootout victory gave the squad tons of motivation for its next challenge- Canada. Morocco secured a clean 3-0 victory in the Round of 16 and sent the team to a second consecutive World Cup quarter-final. This comes following the team’s historic 2022 run when it became the first African team to reach the semi-finals.
The problem for Morocco is that it has to go up against none other than France. This is the big favorite to win the 2026 World Cup and it’s definitely not going to be easy to play against them. One thing is for sure: Morocco proved that 2022 was not a one-off miracle and showed that the country has a solid squad.
Egypt
Up until yesterday, Egypt was as successful as Morocco. Most people would agree that the country produced one of the most dramatic campaigns after it exited the Group Stage without losing a single series. The team drew with Belgium and defeated Iran and New Zealand.
Once it was time for the Round of 32, Egypt had to play against Australia and the game was definitely not easy. Following a brutal penalty shootout, Egypt became the only African team (outside of Morocco) to reach the Round of 16.
Sadly, this is where Egypt’s run came to an end because the team met Argentina. Despite being the big underdog, the squad actually secured a 2-0 lead just 11 minutes into the game. Everyone was shocked, but Argentina slowly stepped up their game and ended up winning the match after scoring 3 goals.
Despite the loss, Egypt won people’s hearts because many football fans believe the referee was not fair to them.
South Africa
Bafana Bafana made history in the 2026 World Cup by surviving the group stage for the first time in its history. Despite losing the opening match to Mexico, the team drew 1-1 with Czechia and defeated South Korea. This allowed it to secure enough points to advance to the Round of 32.
South Africa had the opportunity to play against Canada in the Round of 32, but sadly, the team failed to win. It was a frustrating exit because SA had already shown that they could compete against some of the big names.
Despite that, South Africa’s performance should be seen as progress. After all, the team made it out of the Group Stage for the first time ever.
Côte d’Ivoire
When it comes to Group Stage performance, Côte d’Ivoire had an amazing run. The team ended up with a victory against Ecuador and Curacao, and a narrow loss to Germany. This was enough for the squad to move into the next round.
Speaking of the next round, the Elephants had to play against Norway. Most people expected the African team to do well, but Norway turned out to be a way tougher opponent. Côte d’Ivoire lost 2-1 in a match where they started competitively until the very end. It was an epic clash and we can safely say that Côte d’Ivoire leaves the event with credibility.
Senegal
Senegal entered the 2026 World Cup as one of the African powerhouses people had high hopes for it. To be fair, the team kind of lived up to expectations by surviving the Group Stage. Despite starting with two losses, the team demolished Iraq and this allowed it to advance to the next stage.
Senegal had to play against Belgium in the Round of 32, and it was an epic game. We saw tons of drama and in the end, Senegal lost 3-2. The African squad actually had a two-goal lead, but it was unable to keep it.
Despite exiting the competition early, Senegal was very close to making a statement in the match against one of Europe’s best teams. This is probably not surprising, considering that the country did very well at AFCON 2025.
Algeria
Despite losing the opening match to Argentina, Algeria recovered well after that. The team defeated Jordan and secured a draw against Austria, and this was enough to advance to the Round of 32.
The bad news for the African squad is that it had to play against Switzerland in the first match. As expected, the Swiss played really well and did not give the Desert Foxes any chances of winning. Switzerland secured a clean 2-0 victory and this put an end to Algeria’s World Cup 2026 journey.
Cape Verde
Cape Verde is definitely one of the stories of the tournament and a country that people will look forward to seeing again. The team’s first-ever World Cup was more than amazing because the country actually survived the Group Stage. Cape Verde was in a group with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, and it came out of it.
When it comes to the Round of 32 matches, Cape Verde had to face Argentina, and this game was truly epic. Even though the reigning World Champions won 3-2, it was definitely not a walk in the park.
An interesting fact is that Cape Verde went unbeaten in the 90 minutes against three former World Champions – Spain, Argentina and Uruguay. It’s definitely the country that made the best impression this time around.
DR Congo
DR Congo actually started the World Cup 2026 with a strong draw against one of the favorites – Portugal. After that, the African team lost to Colombia but secured an important 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan. This victory gave the team a head start for the Round of 32.
Speaking of that round, DR Congo had to meet England, and this was definitely not an easy game. Despite being the big underdog, DR Congo actually did fairly well and gave game one of the big teams a serious scare.
Ghana
Overall, we can safely say that Ghana played a disciplined and competitive campaign. The Black Stars started the competition with an important win against Panama, followed by a draw vs England and a loss to Croatia. This was enough for the team to advance to the tournament’s next stage.
Speaking of the Round of 32, Ghana actually lost against Colombia. This was a tight and low-margin defeat, and some people were definitely disappointed, but overall, Ghana did okay.
Tunisia
Sadly, Tunisia became the only African country to fail to advance from the group stage. The country was in Group F, where it met Sweden, Japan and the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the country lost all 3 games, and it was unable to advance to the next stage of the World Cup 2026.
Outside of the disappointing results, the competition was more turbulent because of the coaching instability. After it became clear that Tunisia won’t make it, the country’s coach stepped down.
What’s Next?
Now that we are about to see the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals, Morocco is the only team left to represent Africa. The country has a huge challenge ahead, but given how things are going, we would not be surprised if it eliminates Mbappe and his teammates.
