2026 World Cup: Africa sends record 10 teams to tournament
Africa will reach a new milestone at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, sending a record 10 national teams to the tournament for the first time in history, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off Thursday in North America, with South Africa facing co-hosts Mexico in the opening match.
Algeria, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia will represent Africa’s hopes in the expanded 48-team tournament spanning Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
This marks a historic milestone for African football, four years after Morocco became the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final at Qatar 2022.
The increase in representation gives the continent a broader opportunity to build on that breakthrough and compete more effectively than ever.
Africa’s journey to the World Cup began in 1934, when Egypt became the first team from the continent to reach the finals.
For the continent, the 2026 World Cup is not only about numbers but also about whether African teams can turn their record representation into record performance.
The expanded tournament offers more spots, but it also brings higher expectations.
The list of African nations that have competed in the FIFA World Cup over the years: Egypt (1934), Morocco (1970), DR Congo (1974), Tunisia (1978), Algeria and Cameroon (1982), Algeria and Morocco (1986), Cameroon and Egypt (1990), Cameroon, Morocco, and Nigeria (1994), Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tunisia (1998), Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia (2002), Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Tunisia (2006), Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa (2010), Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria (2014), Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia (2018), Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia (2022), and Algeria, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia (2026).
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan had been denied entry to the US over the weekend, just days before he was set to officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.