Written by Omnia Hassan
The African football scene continued to write new history in the 2026 World Cup, as both Egypt and Morocco succeeded in reaching the Round of 16, after their victories in the Round of 32 matches via penalty shootouts against Australia and the Netherlands, achieving an unprecedented feat in the history of the Black Continent in the World Cup.
The qualification of the two teams is a historic step, as it is the first time that two African teams have managed to win two knockout matches in a single World Cup edition, which reflects the great development witnessed by African teams in recent years.
An exceptional edition for Africa in the 2026 World Cup
African excellence didn't stop at Egypt and Morocco's qualification; the contours of achievement began in the group stage, after 9 out of 10 participating African teams succeeded in advancing to the round of 32, while Tunisia was the only team that exited the competition early.
This exceptional number confirms the continent's strong presence in the current edition, which has seen the best collective participation of African teams in the history of the World Cup.
Excellence breaks past records
Although the African continent has previously seen two teams qualify for the knockout stages in two previous editions, what was achieved in the 2026 World Cup surpasses all previous accomplishments.
In the 2014 World Cup, Algeria and Nigeria reached the Round of 16, before Morocco and Senegal repeated the same achievement in the 2022 edition. However, none of those teams managed to win an elimination match and advance to the next round.
However, in the current version, the Egyptian and Moroccan teams succeeded in overcoming this historical barrier, granting African football an unprecedented achievement on the global stage.
7 teams leave the competition
In contrast, seven African teams saw their runs end in the Round of 32: Ivory Coast, Senegal, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cape Verde, Algeria, and Ghana, after facing stiff competition in the first knockout round.
Highly Competitive Matchups in the Round of 16
All eyes are now on the Round of 16, where the Moroccan national team faces a tough test against Canada, while the Egyptian national team is set for a high-stakes matchup against Argentina—a game in which the “Pharaohs” aim to continue making history and reach the quarterfinals, while the “Lions of the Atlas” hope to continue their remarkable run and strengthen Africa’s presence in the tournament.
