The African challenge at the 2026 FIFA World Cup remains alive and well, with Morocco and South Africa becoming the first teams from the continent to secure qualification for the Round of 32, while seven other African nations still have realistic hopes of advancing to the knockout stage.
With only Tunisia officially eliminated from the tournament, the final round of group-stage matches will determine the fate of the remaining African representatives.
Read Also: The Evolution of Football Analysis in the Digital Tool Era | Sports247 Nigeria
Morocco booked their place in the knockout rounds after an entertaining 4-2 victory over Haiti in their final Group C match.
The Atlas Lions had to come from behind twice before goals from Achraf Hakimi, Ismael Saibari, Soufiane Rahimi and Gessime Yassine secured all three points.
The victory saw
Morocco finish second in Group C behind Brazil, ensuring progression to the Round of 32.
Morocco will now face one of the Netherlands, Japan or Sweden in the next round.
South Africa also made history by reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.
Hugo Broos’ men defeated South Korea 1-0 in Monterrey thanks to a second-half strike from Thapelo Maseko.
The result lifted Bafana Bafana to second place in Group A behind Mexico and secured a last-32 showdown against Canada.
It marks South Africa’s best-ever performance at the FIFA World Cup, having previously failed to progress beyond the group stage in their earlier appearances.
While Morocco and South Africa are already through, seven African nations remain in the hunt for qualification ahead of the decisive final group matches.
African teams still in contention include:
* Cape Verde
* Senegal
* Egypt
* Algeria
* Dr Congo
* Ghana
* Ivory Coast
Several of these teams are well placed to qualify either through automatic spots or as one of the best third-placed teams under the tournament’s expanded 48-team format.
Tunisia, however, have seen their World Cup campaign come to an end after failing to gather enough points to remain in contention.
With Morocco and South Africa already flying Africa’s flag in the knockout rounds, attention now turns to the remaining group-stage fixtures as the continent seeks a strong representation in the Round of 32.
The coming days could see Africa send as many as nine teams into the knockout phase, underlining the growing strength and competitiveness of the continent on football’s biggest stage.
