The Best African Teams Left in the World Cup: Who Can Still Make History? Nine of ten. The most African teams ever to reach the knockout stage of a World Cup — and the continent is just getting started.
The numbers alone tell a story that would have seemed impossible even four years ago. Nine of the ten African nations that qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have made it through to the Round of 32 — shattering the previous record of two and accounting for over 28 per cent of all teams still standing in the tournament. Morocco, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, Egypt, Senegal, Ghana, DR Congo, and Algeria are all alive. Only Tunisia, hammered 5-1 by Sweden and 4-0 by Japan in the group stage, were eliminated. Africa has never had a World Cup like this. The question now is how far the continent can go.
For South African fans following Bafana Bafana and the continent’s other representatives through the knockout rounds, the Hollywoodbets welcome offer adds extra excitement ahead of what promises to be a dramatic week of World Cup football.
Morocco: the benchmark, again Morocco are Africa’s best hope of another deep run — and possibly of matching or surpassing their extraordinary 2022 semifinal. Walid Regragui’s side finished second in Group C after holding Brazil to a 1-1 draw before thumping Haiti 4-2 in their final group game. They face the Netherlands in the Round of 32, a rematch of a classic 2022 quarterfinal that Morocco won on penalties. Their defensive organisation remains world-class, and with Achraf Hakimi and Soufiane Rahimi providing the attacking spark, they are genuine contenders to reach the last eight.
Bafana Bafana: history already made, more to come. South Africa have already done something no Bafana side has ever done — reached the knockout stage of a World Cup. After the 2-0 defeat to Mexico in a chaotic opener, Broos’s side drew with Czechia before a stunning 1-0 win over South Korea sealed their historic progression. They now face Canada in the Round of 32 in Los Angeles. It will not be easy, but a team that had the character to recover from the Azteca humiliation and win their final group game has earned the right to believe anything is possible.
Côte d’Ivoire and Cape Verde: the dark horses Côte d’Ivoire are also reaching the knockout stage for the first time, having beaten Ecuador and Curaçao in Group E. They face Norway in Dallas — a tough but winnable tie for a squad with the attacking firepower of Sébastien Haller and Franck Kessié. Cape Verde, making their World Cup debut, are the tournament’s true fairytale story: three draws from three, including a goalless stalemate against Spain, put them through as one of the best third-placed teams. They meet Argentina next — an almost impossible ask, but no one expected them to be here at all.
Egypt, Senegal, Ghana, Algeria, DR Congo: the rest of the nine Egypt face Australia with a rejuvenated Mohamed Salah — though a hamstring concern makes him a doubt — and are considered favourites. Senegal, who became the first side ever to qualify for the knockouts after losing their opening two matches, demolished Iraq 5-0 to sneak through as a best third-placed team and face Belgium. Ghana take on Colombia. Algeria, who qualified in extraordinary fashion with a last-gasp 3-3 draw against Austria, face Switzerland. DR Congo — reaching the knockouts for the first time in their history — take on England. On paper, each of these ties is a challenge. But collectively, they represent the broadest and deepest African presence the World Cup has ever seen.
Africa does not just want to participate in this tournament. It wants to own it. With nine teams still standing and the knockout bracket wide open, the continent has never had a better chance to make that statement.
