African football has rewritten its own history at the 2026 World Cup, with nine of the continent's ten competing nations advancing to the knockout round — a record that dwarfs the previous high of just two African teams reaching that stage in any single tournament. Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Algeria have all secured their places in the round of 32, leaving Tunisia as the only African side eliminated in the group stage.

The final two spots were confirmed on Saturday night in dramatic fashion. DR Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1, with Yoane Wissa scoring twice — including a penalty and a stoppage-time strike — and Fiston Mayele adding a third. Algeria, meanwhile, needed one of the tournament's most breathless finishes to advance: captain Riyad Mahrez scored a go-ahead goal deep in stoppage time to make it 3-2 against Austria, only for Austria to equalise moments later on the final play of the game. The 3-3 draw was enough for both sides to progress.

Among the most remarkable stories is Cape Verde — an archipelago nation off the west coast of Africa making its debut World Cup appearance — which finished second in its group ahead of Uruguay and Saudi Arabia without losing a match. Former Italy World Cup winner Marco Materazzi described the side as the tournament's biggest surprise, while noting the scale of the challenge ahead: Cape Verde faces defending champion Argentina and Lionel Messi, who leads the tournament's scoring charts with six goals, in Miami on Friday. DR Congo, appearing at just their second World Cup in 52 years, faces England in the next round.