Africa has recorded a historic milestone at the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026, with nine of its ten representatives progressing to the Round of 32.
The achievement marks the strongest performance by the continent in World Cup history, following the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams.
Earlier in the group stage, seven African teams, including Morocco, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Cape Verde, Senegal, and Ghana, had already secured qualification to the knockout round.
Algeria and DR Congo later confirmed their places, becoming the eighth and ninth African teams to advance and completing the record-setting milestone.
Africa had a record ten teams at the tournament, a significant increase from the five slots allocated in previous editions.
Tunisia remains the only African side eliminated at the group stage.
The expanded format allows the top two teams from each group, along with the best third-placed teams, to progress to the Round of 32.
The development has sparked conversations about the growing competitiveness of African football on the global stage, as well as the impact of the new tournament structure.
The Round of 32 fixtures are now set to determine how many African teams will progress further in the competition.
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