Africa’s football leadership has pointed to years of grassroots focus and structural investment as the reason nine of the continent’s 10 qualifiers have reached the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup. CAF president Patrice Motsepe said the payoff is now clear as the tournament expands to a 48-team format.
Nine teams from Africa—out of the 10 that earned passage to the expanded finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico—have made it into the round of 32. Algeria, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Senegal and South Africa will all feature in the next phase, while Tunisia will not progress after losing all three group games.
Quick facts: Africa’s 2026 World Cup progress
- Nine of Africa’s 10 qualifiers have reached the knockout stage.
- The round of 32 teams include Algeria, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Senegal and South Africa.
- Tunisia missed out after defeat in all three group matches.
- Africa’s overall qualification success for the second round was 90%, the highest among FIFA’s six confederations.
Motsepe said the outcomes reflect “hard work and investments” across youth development, coaching, professional leagues and football infrastructure within each of the 54 CAF member associations. He also congratulated the nine association presidents and their executive committees, adding thanks to African governments for their cooperation and backing.
He further highlighted improvements in governance, transparency, and financial and auditing standards, saying they helped attract fresh sponsors and partners while supporting the growth of the game across the continent. CAF then expressed confidence that the nine national sides will continue to make their countries and Africa proud.
On the wider continental comparison, Africa delivered a 90% success rate reaching the second round—top mark among FIFA’s six regions. South America followed with 83.33%, while Europe ranked third at 81.25%.
Why it matters for Africa
Motsepe’s comments also come after a major recent milestone: Morocco became the first African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2022. The Atlas Lions navigated past Belgium, Spain and Portugal on their way to the penultimate stage, before ending the run with a defeat to France.
Cape Verde, meanwhile, will be among the teams in the tournament proper. The former Portuguese colony is described as a sparsely populated, 10-island archipelago off the west coast of Africa and is noted as the second smallest country by size to take part in the global showpiece.
In qualification build-up, Cameroon’s campaign is also referenced as a statement of intent. After upsetting eight-time World Cup participants in African qualifying, Cameroon then finished their group as runners-up after drawing with star-studded opponents Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H.
Africa’s momentum has been boosted by the tournament’s format change. With FIFA expanding the World Cup from 32 teams to 48, Africa received nine places, and DR Congo ultimately secured one of the final berths by beating Jamaica in the inter-continental play-off final.
