African Continent Sees Two Nations Advance to Knockout Stage, Eight Others Ousted from 2026 World Cup

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Out of 10 African countries at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and nine that qualified for the Round of 32, only two have progressed to the last 16.

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Egypt became the latest team from the continent to advance after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Australia.

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The Pharaohs defeated Australia 4-2 on penalties in their Round of 32 clash on Friday after the match ended 1-1 following extra time.

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Emam Ashour gave Egypt the lead in the first half before Mohamed Hany’s own goal restored parity in the 55th minute.

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With neither side able to find a winner after 120 minutes, Egypt held their nerve in the shootout to book a place in the last 16.

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The victory marked Egypt’s first-ever knockout-stage win at a FIFA World Cup.

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They will face Argentina in the Round of 16 after the defending champions edged Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time in another Round of 32 encounter.

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Morocco were the continent’s first Round of 16 qualifiers

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The Atlas Lions defeated the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties on Tuesday following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

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They will face co-hosts Canada in the Round of 16 on Saturday (today).

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Africa’s hopes of a deeper run at the tournament were dented after eight of its representatives exited the competition.

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Côte d’Ivoire lost 2-1 to Norway, Canada beat South Africa 1-0, Switzerland won 2-0 against Algeria, DR Congo fell 2-1 to England, Senegal suffered a 3-2 defeat to Belgium, Ghana were beaten 1-0 by Colombia, while Cape Verde narrowly lost 3-2 after extra time to Argentina.

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Algeria were eliminated in the group stage and did not reach the Round of 32.

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With Egypt and Morocco carrying the continent’s hopes, Africa will now look to secure a place in the quarter-finals when both sides play their Round of 16 fixtures.

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African teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

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• Qualified for Round of 16: Egypt, Morocco
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• Eliminated in Round of 32: Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Senegal, Algeria, South Africa, Ghana, Cape Verde
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• Eliminated in group stage: Algeria
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