Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet expects Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Egypt to book their places in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with nine African nations set to move into the Round of 32 after delivering the strongest group-stage qualification rate among all confederations.
Speaking as Mali head coach, Saintfiet pointed to the continent’s high conversion figure of 90% through the group stage, placing it ahead of CONMEBOL (83%), UEFA (81%), CONCACAF (50%) and the AFC (29%), while he noted that no team advanced from the OFC. He suggested the numbers are the result of long-term, consistent growth across African football.
“Africa football has developed enormously in the last 10 to 15 years,” the widely experienced tactician said. “Before, you had a few giants. Now more and more small teams are getting bigger, so the base is much better. Most of the players play in top leagues in Europe and are top players in Europe. So for me it’s not a surprise that so many African teams went to the second round.”
With nine African sides already through to the Round of 32, Saintfiet singled out four teams as his main bets to progress further.
Morocco, in his view, are the most convincing selection. “I see Morocco winning against Holland,” he said, naming the Atlas Lions as Africa’s most likely representatives to qualify for the Round of 16.
Saintfiet also believes Ivory Coast could narrowly get past Norway, with the contest potentially decided on penalties, while Senegal are seen as having a realistic chance against Belgium. Egypt, meanwhile, is tipped to overcome Australia.
On the wider matchups involving African teams, Saintfiet highlighted Algeria’s next challenge as particularly intriguing, noting that their Round of 32 opponent is Switzerland, coached by Vladimir Petkovic. He referenced Petkovic’s history with the Swiss, saying the former Switzerland boss spent six years in charge before moving to lead the Desert Foxes.
“For coach Petkovic it is a very special game,” Saintfiet said, underlining the emotional weight surrounding that fixture.
Still, Saintfiet struck a more cautious tone when assessing other pairings, including Ghana against Colombia, Cape Verde facing Argentina, and Congo taking on England. He described those matches as especially tough tests.
“Almost every team has an opportunity to go through,” Saintfiet added. “But some games are not easy.”
Despite the difficulty in some individual ties, the Mali coach insisted African ambition should not be treated as a limit. “I think it’s fantastic for African football. It shows that everyone is on the right track, and that African football has to be respected. I think we can expect more than that.”
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