Three African Teams Advance To World Cup Knockout Stage

 

Three African nations have booked their places in the Round of 32 at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup, demonstrating a strong performance for the continent in the expanded tournament. Out of the 10 teams representing Africa, Morocco, South Africa, and Côte d’Ivoire have confirmed their advancement to the knockout phase. Meanwhile, Egypt, Ghana, Cabo Verde, Algeria, Senegal, and Congo DR remain in contention ahead of their final group matches as of Friday, June 26.

Morocco finished as runners-up in Group C following a 4-2 victory over Haiti, setting up a Round of 32 encounter against Group F winners, the Netherlands, scheduled for June 29. South Africa achieved a historic milestone by reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. After recovering from an opening loss to co-hosts Mexico, Bafana Bafana recorded a draw against Czechia before defeating Korea Republic to secure second place in Group A, booking a clash with Canada on June 28. Côte d’Ivoire also advanced after finishing second in Group E, following victories over Ecuador and Curaçao. The Elephants are set to face the runners-up of Group I in the Round of 32 on June 30.

Among the other African teams still playing, Egypt lead Group G with four points from two games, while Ghana occupy second place in Group L on goal difference behind England, with both teams tied on four points. Cabo Verde sit third in Group H with two points, level with Uruguay but trailing on goal difference, while Algeria are third in Group J with three points, even with Austria. Senegal and Congo DR have been knocked out of automatic qualification contention but still possess chances to advance through the tournament’s best third-placed ranking system depending on final group statistics.

In other groups, co-hosts Mexico, the United States, Germany, Argentina, France, Norway, Colombia, Switzerland, Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ecuador, and Sweden have also qualified for the Round of 32. Conversely, teams already knocked out of the competition include Tunisia from Africa, along with Haiti, Türkiye, Jordan, Panama, Qatar, Czechia, and Curaçao. The 2026 FIFA World Cup represents the first edition to feature 48 teams and a Round of 32 format, where the top two teams from each of the 12 groups alongside the eight best third-placed teams qualify for the knockout rounds.