Morocco, South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire Advance to World Cup Knockout Stage

Africa has recorded an encouraging outing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with three of its representatives already sealing places in the Round of 32 following the conclusion of several group-stage fixtures.

Morocco, South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire have all progressed to the knockout stage, giving the continent strong representation as the tournament enters its next phase.

Morocco secured qualification after defeating Haiti 4-2 to finish second in Group C. The Atlas Lions are now set for a difficult Round of 32 encounter against the Netherlands.

South Africa also made history by reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. Bafana Bafana bounced back from an opening defeat to co-hosts Mexico, earned a draw against the Czech Republic and wrapped up qualification with a victory over South Korea. They will now face Canada for a place in the last 16.

Côte d'Ivoire joined the list of qualified teams after finishing second in Group E, thanks to wins over Ecuador and Curaçao. The Elephants will meet the runners-up from Group I in the next round.

Meanwhile, Egypt, Ghana, Cabo Verde and Algeria are still in contention for qualification ahead of their final group matches. Senegal and DR Congo also remain hopeful of advancing through the tournament's best third-placed teams ranking despite missing out on automatic qualification.

The 2026 World Cup is the first edition to feature 48 teams, with the top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed sides progressing to the Round of 32.