Africa’s World Cup Hopes Rest On Morocco & Egypt
Africa’s World Cup Hopes Rest on Morocco and Egypt
THE number of African teams remaining at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been reduced to two following the Round of 32 eliminations of Ghana and Cape Verde, leaving Morocco and Egypt to continue the continent’s pursuit of a historic global title.
Ghana bowed out after a narrow defeat to Colombia, while Cape Verde’s remarkable debut campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion against defending champions Argentina after extra time.
The exits add to those of Tunisia, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Senegal and Algeria, whose earlier eliminations gradually reduced Africa’s presence in the competition.
Colombia End Ghana’s World Cup Journey
Ghana’s hopes of advancing further were dashed by a disciplined Colombian side that made an early breakthrough and successfully defended its advantage.
Jhon Arias struck in the opening stages after receiving a pass from substitute Luis Suárez, giving Colombia a lead that ultimately proved decisive.
Although the Black Stars mounted sustained pressure during the second half and introduced attacking reinforcements in search of an equaliser, they were unable to penetrate Colombia’s organised back line.
A VAR intervention also ruled out what would have been Colombia’s second goal before the South Americans secured progression to the next round.
Cape Verde Leave with Heads Held High
Cape Verde produced one of the standout performances of the knockout stage despite suffering a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in Miami.
The world champions took the lead through Lionel Messi, but the African newcomers responded impressively as Deroy Duarte levelled the contest after halftime.
Extra time brought further drama. Lisandro Martínez restored Argentina’s advantage before Sidny Lopes Cabral produced a spectacular equaliser that pushed the defending champions close to a penalty shootout.
However, with the match entering its closing stages, an unfortunate own goal by Diney Borges settled the contest in Argentina’s favour.
Despite elimination, Cape Verde earned widespread recognition for an outstanding tournament that exceeded expectations and demonstrated the country’s growing competitiveness on the world stage.
Remaining African Challenge
Attention now shifts to Morocco and Egypt, the continent’s last remaining representatives.
Morocco face co-hosts Canada in what promises to be a highly competitive Round of 16 encounter, while Egypt confront arguably the toughest challenge of the knockout phase against reigning champions Argentina.
With Africa’s representation reduced to two teams, hopes of securing the continent’s maiden FIFA World Cup title now depend on the performances of the Atlas Lions and the Pharaohs as the tournament progresses.
