‎Historic World Cup campaign sees nine African teams secure last-32 places

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‎Africa has achieved its greatest-ever FIFA World Cup performance, with a record nine nations advancing to the Round of 32 at the 2026 tournament following Congo’s victory over Uzbekistan and Algeria’s dramatic draw against Austria.
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‎After Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 and Algeria battled to a thrilling 3-3 draw with Austria on Saturday, nine of the continent’s 10 representatives secured places in the knockout rounds. The achievement shatters the previous record of two African teams reaching the knockout stage in a single World Cup, a feat previously achieved in 2014 and 2022.
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‎The African nations progressing are Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde, Egypt, Congo and Algeria.
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‎Morocco, who became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals at Qatar 2022, have once again emerged as one of the continent’s leading contenders after already earning an impressive 1-1 draw against Brazil during the group stage.
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‎This year’s tournament has also highlighted the growing depth of African football, with Cape Verde and Congo emerging as surprise packages after reaching the knockout phase for the first time.
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‎Congo sealed their historic qualification with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, earning the country’s first-ever World Cup victory and a maiden place in the knockout rounds.
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‎”It’s really historic for our country, Congo,” forward Fiston Mayele said after the match. “It’s the first win and the first knockout stage. Today, I have to be proud, and everyone back home is happy with what we achieved.”
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‎Yoane Wissa scored twice for Congo, including a penalty in the 68th minute and another goal deep into stoppage time, while Mayele added the decisive third goal in the 78th minute.
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‎The Democratic Republic of Congo will now face England in the Round of 32.
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‎Algeria also booked their place in dramatic fashion after playing out a pulsating 3-3 draw with Austria. Captain Riyad Mahrez looked to have secured victory with a stoppage-time goal before Austria equalised with virtually the last kick of the match. The result, however, was enough for both teams to progress.
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‎Reflecting on Congo’s achievement, Wissa said the team’s success should inspire the next generation of African footballers.
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‎”Now every African team can dream big,” he said. “Morocco reached the semifinals at the last World Cup, and now so many African teams are in the knockout stage. We have talented young players coming through, and this shows that African football can continue to grow.”
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‎With nine teams still in contention, Africa has surpassed every previous World Cup campaign, underlining the continent’s growing competitiveness on football’s biggest stage and raising hopes that another deep run could be on the horizon.