The recent World Cup experience for Africa has sparked debates reminiscent of early social media memes questioning perception: Is it a triumph or a reflection of the continent’s ongoing challenges in football? The answer may vary depending on one’s perspective.
For years, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) has been advocating for more representation, arguing that five spots were insufficient for its 54 member nations. In comparison, 50% of South America’s teams made it to the World Cup. However, critics pointed out that South American nations have secured the trophy ten times, whereas Africa had not seen a semi-finalist until Morocco reached the final four in Qatar in 2022.
Striking a balance between adequate representation and maintaining high standards is complex. Despite the drawbacks of a 48-team tournament, the allocation of nine guaranteed slots for Africa, with the possibility of an additional one via intercontinental play-offs—claimed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—is a step forward.
However, an unspoken concern lingered: what if these ten teams underperformed? If fewer than five African nations advanced to the knockout stage, it could suggest that Caf had received more qualification slots than warranted.
Ultimately, nine African teams successfully progressed from group play, validating those who argued for better representation. Meanwhile, UEFA and Conmebol saw 13 and five teams respectively advance to the knockout rounds, with Asian and Central American teams underperforming—only Japan and Australia advanced from the AFC, while only the three hosts made it through from Concacaf.
In this light, Africa’s performance at the World Cup can be viewed as a success, despite Tunisia’s historically poor showing. Their early deficits in all three matches, trailing by seven, four, and three minutes, set a new record for the most time spent behind in World Cup history, surpassing Mexico’s 96-year-old record.
Achieving a 90% advancement rate among participating African teams may seem impressive, yet none topped their respective groups. A significant goal was for three African teams to reach the last 16 for the first time. In Qatar, Morocco and Senegal achieved that milestone, while no African teams did so in Russia. Algeria and Nigeria made it in Brazil, and only Ghana progressed in South Africa, where Caf had six representatives.
In this World Cup, two African teams advanced, both through penalty shootouts—a qualified success given that this has occurred only twice previously. Yet there remains a prevailing sentiment that the overall outcome could have been even better. Algeria faced a solid defeat against Switzerland, although Ibrahim Maza’s talent shone through. Had Algeria not continued their troubling trend of conceding silly goals, the narrative might have differed. Other losses were by narrow margins.
Some losses were tighter than others. South Africa succumbed to Canada due to an injury-time goal and exhibited a lackluster performance compared to their triumphant run to the Cup of Nations semi-final in 2024. Ghana, trailing Colombia, appeared lost and struggled to regain control of the match, a common issue under Carlos Queiroz’s management.
For Cape Verde, qualifying for the World Cup was a monumental achievement, and pushing Argentina to extra time while equalizing twice highlights their success. However, the other three teams felt a sense of what could have been.
Senegal viewed their exit as a squandered opportunity. Despite the controversial penalty awarded against them after a video assistant referee review in extra time, they had dominated Belgium and were leading 2-0 with just four minutes left, making the eventual turn of events particularly disappointing. Côte d’Ivoire equalized against Norway and appeared to gain momentum, only to lose. The DRC led England but ultimately faltered in the last quarter-hour due to fatigue.
Moreover, Côte d’Ivoire held a lead against Germany, Morocco was ahead of Brazil, and Senegal seemed secure at halftime against France, yet none emerged victorious. They failed to capitalize on advantageous positions. As Belgium’s coach Rudi Garcia noted, this may stem from inexperience; teams unfamiliar with maintaining leads against stronger opponents may struggle to close out matches.
Perhaps the lack of depth in squads and limited options from the bench contributed to the outcomes, with fatigue particularly affecting the DRC. There may also be a pervasive lack of confidence against more established teams. However, the reasons for each team’s struggles may differ significantly.
Morocco could potentially establish itself as a consistent force within the global football elite. Still, the prevailing sentiment is that, despite the advantages brought by players from the diaspora, the structure of African football is expanding but not necessarily elevating in quality: many teams can enter the last 32, but few seem capable of reaching the last 16.
For progress to occur, teams like Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire must seize good opportunities and secure victories against formidable opponents.
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