African teams face early World Cup exit despite record representation
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
Despite a record nine African teams reaching the 2026 World Cup round of 32, seven of them were eliminated, leaving only Morocco and Egypt to advance. South Africa, DR Congo, Senegal, Algeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Cape Verde exited the tournament. The Confederation of African Football had previously argued for more slots, and the expanded 48-team format granted Africa nine guaranteed places, with DR Congo securing a tenth through intercontinental play-offs. Nine of Africa's ten representatives progressed from the group stage, outperforming Asia and Concacaf, with only Tunisia failing to advance. However, the round of 32 saw many narrow defeats. Senegal lost to Belgium after conceding two late goals, and Cape Verde's run ended with an own goal against Argentina in extra time. Ivory Coast and DR Congo also suffered agonizing defeats after leading or drawing against stronger opponents. Ghana lost to Colombia, and South Africa to Canada. Algeria's defeat to Switzerland was attributed to a gap in quality. Egypt and Morocco both progressed on penalties, continuing a trend of two African sides reaching the last-16. Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia suggested that inexperience in closing out matches against higher-ranked opposition remains a recurring theme for African teams, indicating that while the number of competitive African nations has grown, their ability to secure knockout victories against traditional footballing powers is still developing.
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