By Ghazali Ibrahim
Africa’s hopes of a strong showing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup received a major boost after Morocco and South Africa became the first teams from the continent to qualify for the tournament’s knockout stage.
The two nations booked their places in the Round of 32 with games to spare, ensuring Africa will be represented in the first knockout phase of the expanded 48-team tournament being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Morocco, who made history by reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, continued their impressive run on the global stage by securing qualification from their group. The Atlas Lions once again demonstrated the discipline and resilience that made them Africa’s most successful team at the previous World Cup.
South Africa also advanced after a series of strong performances, marking a significant achievement for Bafana Bafana as they return to the knockout rounds of the competition for the first time in years.
While Morocco and South Africa have already secured their places in the next round, several other African nations remain in contention ahead of the final group-stage matches.
Algeria are still battling for qualification in Group J and remain locked in a fierce contest for one of the available knockout spots. The Desert Foxes know that a positive result in their final fixture could extend their stay in the tournament.
African champions Ivory Coast also remain in the race despite suffering a narrow defeat to Germany. The Elephants have shown enough quality in their opening matches to keep their qualification hopes alive heading into the final round of group games.
Elsewhere, teams such as Egypt, Ghana, Senegal and Cape Verde are still fighting for places in the Round of 32, with the expanded tournament format offering additional opportunities for some third-placed teams to advance.
However, Tunisia’s World Cup campaign has already come to an end after consecutive defeats left the North Africans without a route to qualification.
The Carthage Eagles became the first African nation to be eliminated from the competition.
Morocco’s historic semi-final run in 2022 remains the benchmark for African football, but hopes are growing that multiple teams could make deep runs in the expanded tournament.
With the final round of group-stage fixtures set to conclude in the coming days, Africa could yet send several more representatives into the knockout rounds, further strengthening the continent’s presence on football’s biggest stage.
