As the first round of group-stage matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws to a close, the verdict for Africa is one of stark contrast—two flag-bearers soaring high, four battling to heroic draws, and four licking their wounds after disappointing defeats.
Of the ten African nations competing in the expanded 48-team tournament, only Ivory Coast and Ghana managed to secure maximum points from their opening fixtures.
The Victors: Ivory Coast & Ghana
Ivory Coast drew first blood for the continent. In their Group E opener in Philadelphia, the Elephants edged Ecuador 1-0 with a dramatic 90th-minute strike from Manchester United’s Amad Diallo, securing Africa’s first win of the tournament. The victory was particularly sweet—Ivory Coast’s first World Cup win in exactly 12 years, since they beat Japan in Brazil in 2014.
Ghana followed suit with an equally nail-biting finish. At BMO Field in Toronto, Caleb Yirenkyi tapped in a cross from Brandon Thomas-Asante in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, giving the Black Stars a 1-0 victory over Panama. The 73-year-old manager Carlos Queiroz sprinted toward the touchline and dropped to his knees in celebration. The win was also historic for another reason—it marked Ghana’s first World Cup clean sheet since June 13, 2010, ending a streak of 10 straight tournament matches in which they had conceded at least one goal.
Heroic Draws Against Giants
Four other African sides punched above their weight, holding footballing superpowers to impressive stalemates:
· Morocco (1-1 vs Brazil): The Atlas Lions dominated proceedings against Neymar and Vinícius Jr.’s Seleção, with Ismaël Saibari opening the scoring before Brazil equalized.
· Egypt (1-1 vs Belgium): Mohamed Salah’s Pharaohs took the lead against the Red Devils and looked them square in the eye before conceding a draw.
· Cape Verde (0-0 vs Spain): In their World Cup debut, the Blue Sharks erected an impenetrable wall against the reigning European champions, securing a historic clean sheet.
· DR Congo (1-1 vs Portugal): The Leopards, facing Cristiano Ronaldo, conceded early but responded through Yoane Wissa’s stoppage-time header to claim their first-ever World Cup point—a remarkable achievement given their last participation in 1974 ended in a 9-0 drubbing by Yugoslavia.
The Disappointments: Four Defeats
For the rest of the African contingent, the opening round was painful:
· South Africa lost 2-0 to co-hosts Mexico in a match marred by two red cards for Bafana Bafana—a sad first for a World Cup opening fixture.
· Tunisia suffered the heaviest defeat of any African side, hammered 5-1 by Sweden—prompting the immediate sacking of coach Sabri Lamouchi, replaced by Hervé Renard.
· Algeria faced the daunting task of taking on defending champions Argentina and succumbed 3-0 to a Lionel Messi hat-trick.
· Senegal, the reigning African champions, fell 3-1 to France despite a solid first-half display, with Kylian Mbappé netting a brace.
Historical Context
Despite the mixed results, African teams have collected 6 points from their first 10 matches, marking their best start to a World Cup since 2002, when the continent also secured 6 points from its opening six fixtures. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams and the top two from each of the 12 groups—plus the eight best third-placed teams—advancing to the Round of 32, there is still ample opportunity for African sides to progress.
The continent’s best World Cup performance remains Morocco’s semi-final run at Qatar 2022, while Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002), and Ghana (2010) have all reached the quarter-finals. As the second round of group matches begins, the question remains: can the likes of Morocco, Egypt, and DR Congo build on their encouraging draws, and can the heavyweights—Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, and South Africa—salvage their campaigns?
For now, Ivory Coast and Ghana carry the weight of African hopes on their shoulders.
