The group stage of the 23rd edition of the World Cup (co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada) concluded on Saturday, June 27, 2026. For the African continent, the verdict is clear: the results are simply phenomenal. Of the ten participating nations, nine have secured their place in the Round of 32. Only Tunisia was eliminated, leaving African football with an exceptional success rate of 90% .

In 30 encounters, African teams have shown perfect consistency: 10 wins, 10 draws and 10 losses , proving that Africa is now competing on equal footing with the world elite.

📊 The collective record in figures

The first round highlighted very different trajectories depending on the selections:

1. The good student: Morocco stands out as the leader of the African contingent with 7 points on the board and a goal difference of +3.
2. The art of sharing: Cape Verde qualified in an unusual way by drawing all three of their matches.
3. The nightmare: Tunisia exits the competition ignominiously with zero points (3 defeats) and an abysmal goal difference of -10.

Attack vs. Defense: Who shines, who falters?

Sector	Top 👍	Flops 👎
Attack	Senegal (8 goals scored)	Cape Verde, South Africa, Tunisia (2 goals each)
Defense	Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, Ghana (2 goals conceded)	Tunisia (12 goals conceded - worst defense in the tournament)

Discipline and Fair Play

Algeria , Tunisia , and Morocco share the honors for fair play, each receiving only one yellow card. Conversely, South Africa showed more discipline with six cards, including two red cards, just ahead of Egypt with six cautions.

🌟 Individual performances

Several African players particularly distinguished themselves during this group stage:

1. Top scorers (3 goals): Saibari (Morocco), Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal) and Yoane Wissa (DR Congo).
2. Top passers (2 assists): Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal), Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Houssem Aouar (Algeria), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia) and Brahim Diaz (Morocco).

🗺️ Map of teams qualified for the round of 32

Although no African nation managed to finish top of its group, the overall performance remains impressive.

The second-placed teams (5 teams)

South Africa , Morocco , Ivory Coast , Cape Verde and Egypt go directly through the main gate.

The best third-placed teams (4 teams)

The Democratic Republic of Congo , Ghana , Algeria and Senegal save their skins and continue the American adventure.

📜 Pages of history are turning

The 2026 World Cup will be remembered for several reasons:

1. A major first: South Africa, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, Egypt and DR Congo have made it past the first round of a World Cup for the very first time .
2. The turning point: DR Congo and Egypt savored the very first victories in their history in the final stages of the World Cup.
3. The regulars: Morocco, Senegal, Algeria and Ghana rediscover the thrills they have already experienced in the past.

With this unprecedented overall performance, African football confirms its global rise to power and enters the knockout stage with legitimate ambitions of victory.