African football has reached another historic milestone at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after nine of the continent's 10 representatives qualified for the Round of 32, prompting FIFA to celebrate the achievement with a special message.
Africa leads all confederations in progression rate
CAF's outstanding performance in the expanded 48-team tournament eclipsed every other confederation, with Africa posting the highest group-stage progression rate among all regions represented at the competition. Following the conclusion of the group phase, FIFA acknowledged the achievement on its official X account, posting a graphic of the nine qualifiers alongside the message: 'Representing Africa in the Round of 32.'
From breaking news to viral moments. Follow Legit.ng on Instagram. The recognition came after Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Cape Verde, Egypt, Senegal, Algeria, Ghana and DR Congo all secured places in the knockout rounds, while Tunisia were the only African side to miss out.
Africa surpasses Europe and South America
According to statistics released by Opta, African countries finished the group stage with a remarkable 90 per cent qualification rate after nine of its 10 participating nations progressed. That figure placed Africa ahead of both South America and Europe, two regions that have traditionally dominated the latter stages of the tournament.
South America's CONMEBOL also enjoyed a strong campaign, with five of its six teams advancing for an 83% qualification rate. However, despite having some of the tournament favourites, the continent still finished behind Africa in terms of efficiency. Europe's UEFA had the largest number of participating nations, with 16 teams, and 13 of them secured places in the knockout stage. While that represents the highest number of teams advancing overall, its progression rate stood at 81%, leaving Europe third behind both Africa and South America when measured by the percentage of teams that successfully made it through the group stage.
It marks the first time an African confederation has finished with the best progression percentage among all continental bodies at a FIFA World Cup. The achievement also depicts the rapid development of African football since Morocco became the first team from the continent to reach the World Cup semi-finals at Qatar 2022.
The history makers
Africa arrived at the 2026 tournament with a record 10 qualified countries after FIFA expanded the competition to 48 teams. By the end of the group stage, nine nations had booked places in the round of 32, smashing every previous African record. Before this tournament, the highest number of African teams to reach the knockout rounds in a single World Cup was just two, achieved in both 2014 and 2022.
This year, Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Egypt, Algeria, South Africa, Cape Verde and DR Congo all advanced, which shows the continent's growing strength across multiple regions rather than relying on one or two established powers. Cape Verde and DR Congo emerged as two of the biggest surprise packages after producing memorable campaigns to extend Africa's remarkable run.
DR Congo stars celebrate historic breakthrough
DR Congo secured their place in the knockout rounds after defeating Uzbekistan 3-1, earning the country's first World Cup victory in more than five decades. Forward Fiston Mayele, as quoted by The Washington Post, admitted the achievement meant far more than simply reaching the next round: 'It's really historic for our country, Congo. It's the first win and the first knockout stage. Today, I have to be proud here, and almost everywhere in my country, everyone is happy with what we did. We're proud to be Congolese, and I think we will keep going.'
Yoane Wissa, who scored twice in the decisive victory, reflected on the long journey that eventually brought the Leopards to this stage: 'It's only the second time we are in the World Cup, 52 years later. We started to qualify for the World Cup four years ago with this group. First game against Portugal, you drew. You lost against Colombia. Now you're losing one-nil after 10 minutes, so nothing is easy in football. We just need to show resilience, and when a time like this comes, you have to enjoy it because it's not easy.'
The Brentford forward believes Africa's success in North America should inspire future generations: 'Now every African team can dream big. The last World Cup, Morocco reached the semi-final. What's coming next is good for the African teams. We can see young players arriving earlier, and we've shown that with Noah Sadiki and Ngal'ayel Mukau. That shows our federation can dream big.'
Morocco continue to lead Africa's charge
Morocco once again set the pace for African football after progressing unbeaten from a difficult group that included Brazil. The Atlas Lions followed their memorable run to the 2022 semi-finals by qualifying comfortably for another knockout stage, strengthening their reputation as one of the tournament's strongest contenders. Elsewhere, Ghana, Egypt and Senegal all produced composed campaigns, while South Africa bounced back impressively after an opening defeat to reach the round of 32. Algeria also secured qualification dramatically after captain Riyad Mahrez's late goal helped his side earn the draw they needed against Austria.
With nine African teams now preparing for knockout football, the continent has already produced its greatest collective World Cup performance. Supporters across Africa will now hope that at least one of those nations can continue the historic run and challenge for football's biggest prize.
Supercomputer predicts last 32 favourites
Legit.ng previously reported that Opta's supercomputer released its latest predictions ahead of the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The model gave defending champions Argentina an 86.17 per cent chance of progressing, while England were assigned an 83.57 per cent probability of reaching the Round of 16. France, Spain and co-hosts the United States also ranked among the strongest favourites to advance.
Source: Legit.ng
