{"id":68297,"date":"2026-06-08T16:03:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup"},"modified":"2026-06-08T19:22:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T19:22:25","slug":"what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup","title":{"rendered":"What are Africa\u2019S Chances of Winning the World Cup?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong> <\/span>After Morocco became the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022, can a team from Sub-Saharan Africa make a significant advance in 2026?<\/p>\n

Africa’s performance peaked at the World Cup in Qatar 2022 when Morocco became the first team from the continent to reach the semifinals.<\/p>\n

Their journey to the quarterfinals was noteworthy \u2013 the Atlas Lions were only the fourth African nation to reach that stage.<\/p>\n

Although Cameroon, Senegal, and Ghana are the other three African teams that reached the quarterfinals, North Africa has dominated the continent’s success overall in the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations.<\/p>\n

Egypt holds the record for the most Africa Cup of Nations titles with seven victories, while three of the top five African teams qualified for the World Cup finals are Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.<\/p>\n

So what are the chances of Sub-Saharan countries outperforming their northern neighbors in the tournament starting on June 11?<\/p>\n

Senegal<\/b><\/p>\n

World Cup Appearances: Four \u2013 2002, 2018, 2022, 2026.<\/p>\n

Best Achievement: Quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Overall Record: 12 matches, 5 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses, 16 goals, 17 goals conceded.<\/p>\n

FIFA Ranking: 14.<\/p>\n

Expectation: Exit in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

The Senegal national team enters the 2026 World Cup with a deep sense of injustice fueling their campaign.<\/p>\n

The “Lions of Teranga” were stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title by a decision from the African Football Confederation (CAF), which deemed the withdrawal of Senegal’s players and coaching staff from the match midway through as nullifying the final in January, which was later awarded to Morocco, along with the trophy, after their 3-0 victory.<\/p>\n

In 2002, Senegal surprised everyone by reaching the quarterfinals in their first World Cup appearance in the tournament hosted by Japan and South Korea.<\/p>\n

After more than two decades, expectations have risen significantly \u2013 perhaps carrying the highest hopes among all African teams, including Morocco.<\/p>\n

The depth of their 26-player squad is seen as their greatest strength compared to their continental neighbors, but the prowess of their stars is also admired by competitors.<\/p>\n

Sadio Mane\u0301 remains the country’s greatest player. However, standout midfielder Pape Gueye, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, and captain Kalidou Koulibaly are all capable of enriching almost any team in the tournament.<\/p>\n

All three were born in France and are looking for another opportunity to compete against the two-time winners.<\/p>\n

Senegal’s 1-0 victory over France, the then-defending champions, in the 2002 edition announced their rise as an emerging football power, and their first match in this group will be against Didier Deschamps’ team in New York on June 16.<\/p>\n

“It is always a pleasure to play against France. It is a country we know well,” said Senegal’s coach Pape Bouba Thiaw, who moved to France at the age of 17.<\/p>\n

He added: “If I lose even a second of faith in my ability to win the World Cup with Senegal, I will resign.”<\/p>\n

Senegal’s group is completed by Iraq and Norway.<\/p>\n

Ghana<\/b><\/p>\n

World Cup Appearances: Five \u2013 2006, 2010, 2014, 2022, 2026.<\/p>\n

Best Achievement: Quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Overall Record: 15 matches, 5 wins, 3 draws, 7 losses, 18 goals, 23 goals conceded.<\/p>\n

FIFA Ranking: 74.<\/p>\n

Expectation: Exit in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Ghana has only missed the World Cup once since their debut in 2006.<\/p>\n

Four years after their first global appearance, they became the third African team to reach the quarterfinals in 2010.<\/p>\n

Their preparation for this tournament has not been smooth, as the coach was changed late, with veteran Portuguese Carlos Queiroz replacing Otto Addo after a series of poor results.<\/p>\n

The former Ghanaian international born in Germany led his country in Qatar 2022, but failing to qualify for the recent Africa Cup of Nations and the overall defeats in their four notable matches in November and March led to his dismissal in early April.<\/p>\n

This will be the fifth consecutive World Cup appearance for the 73-year-old Queiroz, who previously had African experiences with South Africa and Egypt, coached Real Madrid, and was Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man at Manchester United.<\/p>\n

Group L, which includes Panama, England, and Croatia, is considered the “group of death” in the tournament’s opening stage, but with Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo leading a strong attack, Ghana fully expects to qualify.<\/p>\n

“I believe this country has tremendous potential… it is a country of football players,” said Queiroz.<\/p>\n

However, the Black Stars will be without Tottenham’s injured striker Mohammed Kudus, who has become the team’s talisman and a key factor in their recent successful qualification campaigns.<\/p>\n

Ivory Coast<\/b><\/p>\n

World Cup Appearances: Four \u2013 2006, 2010, 2014, 2026.<\/p>\n

Best Finish: Group Stage.<\/p>\n

Overall Record: 9 matches, 3 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses, 13 goals, 14 goals conceded.<\/p>\n

FIFA Ranking: 34.<\/p>\n

Expectation: Exit in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Ivory Coast returns to the global stage after a 12-year absence \u2013 a gap that has been significant following the retirement of some of their greatest players like Yaya Toure\u0301 and Didier Drogba.<\/p>\n

It has been a long rebuilding process for the Ivorians, but they have won two Africa Cup of Nations titles since their last World Cup appearance.<\/p>\n

Their young attack, led by teenage striker Yan Diomande, along with Simon Adingra and Amad Diallo from Manchester United, will be key to their chances.<\/p>\n

When Ivory Coast hosted the Africa Cup of Nations two years ago, they nearly exited the group stage, but promoted Emerse Fai\u0308 from assistant coach to lead their last match in the opening stage, and then won the title.<\/p>\n

“I believe Ivory Coast has the ability to achieve something exceptional \u2013 so why not aim for the final?” said Fai\u0308 before the tournament, which will start with matches against Curac\u0327ao, Ecuador, and former world champions Germany.<\/p>\n

Cape Verde<\/b><\/p>\n

World Cup Appearances: Once \u2013 2026.<\/p>\n

Best Finish: Not available.<\/p>\n

Overall Record: Not available.<\/p>\n

FIFA Ranking: 69.<\/p>\n

Expectation: Exit in the group stage.<\/p>\n

Cape Verde, with a population of around 600,000, is one of the countries making its debut, and it is the third smallest nation to qualify in the tournament’s long history.<\/p>\n

They only made their first appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, but they reached the quarterfinals \u2013 an achievement they repeated in 2023.<\/p>\n

The task ahead of them \u2013 largely led by their players scattered abroad \u2013 is daunting, as they face Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and Spain, the European champions, in the group stage.<\/p>\n

“We have always been aware of our talent, but we did not always believe it could take us further than we achieved until that moment,” said their coach Bobista, who was named the best African coach in 2025.<\/p>\n

“So, it took courage to face any opponent. The first step in our success was a true belief in our potential. In other words, we have changed the mindset of the players.”<\/p>\n

South Africa<\/b><\/p>\n

World Cup Appearances: Four \u2013 1998, 2002, 2010, 2026.<\/p>\n

Best Finish: Group Stage.<\/p>\n

Overall Record: 9 matches, 2 wins, 4 draws, 3 losses, 11 goals, 16 conceded.<\/p>\n

FIFA Ranking: 60.<\/p>\n

Expectation: Exit in the Round of 32.<\/p>\n

After a prosperous start to their return to the international stage, with qualification for the 1998 World Cup, South Africa’s fortunes have significantly declined over the past 16 years.<\/p>\n

The first appearance in the finals since 2010 seems very late for a country hoping to reap the benefits of strong local growth as they head to North America.<\/p>\n

The South African club Mamelodi Sundowns won the African Champions League, and the Bafana Bafana national team includes eight players from it. The team also features eight players from Orlando Pirates, the local league champions, who snatched the title from Sundowns by a single point.<\/p>\n

“We can say we have players from the best teams of the season. These players have a lot of experience at a high level,” said the South African coach born in Belgium, Hugo Broos, on his selection of 26 players.<\/p>\n

“I am very happy that Sundowns won the Champions League, because I was afraid that if they lost, I would have players who would feel very disappointed. Now, they all have a boost of confidence, and that helps a lot.”<\/p>\n

South Africa is in what is called the other “group of death,” where they will face the Czech Republic, South Korea, and the host nation Mexico, which they will meet in the tournament’s opening match.<\/p>\n

Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/b><\/p>\n

World Cup Appearances: Two \u2013 1974 and 2026.<\/p>\n

Best Finish: Group Stage.<\/p>\n

Overall Record: 3 matches, 0 wins, 0 draws, 3 losses, 0 goals, 14 conceded.<\/p>\n

FIFA Ranking: 46.<\/p>\n

Expectation: Exit in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

The previous appearance of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was when it was still known as Zaire, participating in the 1974 finals in West Germany \u2013 the first Sub-Saharan African team to go to the World Cup.<\/p>\n

As the current continental champions, their crushing 9-0 defeat to Yugoslavia did not contribute much to raising Africa’s flag at that time.<\/p>\n

Much has changed since then for the continent and its largest country. The Congolese players will arrive in North America with a FIFA ranking that surpasses three of the other five teams qualified from Sub-Saharan countries.<\/p>\n

It took two decisive rounds to reach this edition \u2013 the African rounds saw Congo eliminate Cameroon and Nigeria, before overcoming Jamaica in extra time in their intercontinental playoff.<\/p>\n

Most of the team’s players were born in Europe, either in Belgium, France, or Switzerland, in addition to Aaron Wan-Bissaka, born in London, who was previously called up by England but missed out due to injury.<\/p>\n

“We are very proud that a whole generation that could not see their national team in the World Cup will now see it there,” said their French coach, Se\u0301bastien Desabre.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Lesotho<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. After Morocco became the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022, can a team from Sub-Saharan Africa make a significant advance in 2026? Africa’s performance peaked at the World Cup in Qatar 2022 when Morocco became the first team from the continent to reach the semifinals. Their journey […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":68296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[245],"class_list":["post-68297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat are Africa\u2019S Chances of Winning the World Cup? - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After Morocco became the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022, can a team from\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What are Africa\u2019S Chances of Winning the World Cup?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After Morocco became the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022, can a team from\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lesotho\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-08T16:03:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-08T19:22:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2026\/06\/sm_1780945546.523595.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"770\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"470\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"What are Africa\u2019S Chances of Winning the World Cup?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T16:03:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-08T19:22:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup\"},\"wordCount\":1564,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2026\/06\/sm_1780945546.523595.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Lesotho\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/what-are-africas-chances-of-winning-the-world-cup\",\"name\":\"What are Africa\u2019S Chances of Winning the World Cup? 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