African football has reached a historic milestone at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with nine countries progressing to the Round of 32—the highest number of African teams ever to reach the knockout stage of the tournament.
For the first time in FIFA World Cup history, 10 African nations qualified for the finals. While FIFA allocated nine slots to the continent, the Democratic Republic of Congo secured an additional place through the intercontinental play-offs.
Of the 10 African representatives, only Tunisia failed to advance beyond the group stage, with the remaining nine nations booking their places in the knockout rounds.
Sports analyst, reporter and producer with News Central, Ope Adebari, praised the performances of the African teams, describing their displays as a reflection of the continent's growing football quality.
“Sincerely speaking, I’m impressed with what I have seen so far. All the African teams except Tunisia have actually played well. You can see the grit, passion, high-quality play and good tactical nuance from the teams. I can confidently say that all the African teams that qualified deserved to be at the World Cup and they have proven so as well,” he said.
Morocco have once again emerged as one of Africa's standout performers after their historic semi-final run at the 2022 World Cup. The Atlas Lions will face the Netherlands in the Round of 32.
Other knockout fixtures involving African teams include:
DR Congo vs England
Ghana vs Colombia
South Africa vs Canada
Cape Verde vs Argentina
Senegal vs Belgium
Côte d'Ivoire vs Norway
Egypt vs Australia
Adebari believes Morocco, Côte d'Ivoire and Algeria possess the quality to make deep runs in the tournament.
He also backed growing calls for FIFA to increase Africa's World Cup allocation in future editions.
“Some might say it would be too early to say more African teams should be present in 2030. But from what we have witnessed so far, I personally think having more African teams will be good for the purpose of elite competition. I believe more people will be convinced at the end of this current tournament.”
Africa's impressive performances have strengthened arguments that the continent deserves greater representation at future FIFA World Cups.
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