Its time for Africa in the FIFA World Cup
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Its time for Africa in the FIFA World Cup
8 out of the 9 teams made the Round of 32 and Morocco have already made the Round of 16 knocking the Dutch out in the process
Morocco have already made the Round of 16 knocking the Dutch out of FIFA World Cup 2026.
‘Its time for Africa’ are now words that have been immortalised by the Shakira song. But then it is true that these words are a reality in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026. Africa is no longer there as a continent to make up the numbers but each of the teams that made have left a real mark on the competition. 8 out of the 9 teams made the Round of 32 and Morocco have already made the Round of 16 knocking the Dutch out in the process. And Cape Verde, anyone who was up at 3:30 am (IST) to watch Argentina struggle, will know how close they were to causing an upset. It is a real African fairytale and speaks of a story of resilience and unrivalled passion. Africa will soon take Europe and Latin America on in football and we are certainly seeing a shift in the games power dynamic.
Take the case of DR Congo. For the longest time England were under pressure and an upset seemed a very real possibility. While it was Harry Kane who pre-empted it with his flair and individual brilliance, Congo did shake England up. Much like Cape Verde and also Senegal. They were 2-0 up against Belgium and up until the 85th minute the game was in their control. While the two back to back goals allowed Belgium to script a stunning comeback and win 3-2, Senegal were by no means outclassed
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Cape Verde is yet another story. Had anyone suggested ahead of the World Cup that Vozinha would do what he has and the team will make the next stage, none would have believed such an outrageous claim. And yet they are there and pushed the mighty Argentinians led by Leo Messi. Even as they bow out, they have already left an imprint on this World Cup
For long we have identified Africa as an underperforming continent. Football, however, tells a very different story. The fan passion in the continent is less to none and now each one of these countries are charting their own history. Using sport as soft power, they are making a name for themselves and the macro picture is one of African resurgence at the global stage
In Qatar 2022 Morocco made the semi-finals against all odds. It will be foolish to look beyond them this time as well. Clearly they have done something right and the base is now strong enough that they can perform with consistency in consecutive editions
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From the standpoint of the sport, this is an excellent outcome. You need to create newer markets and newer power centres and with Africa starting to make noise, this will surely happen in the coming months and years. In fact, the continent brings to the fore loads of untapped potential. A huge number of these players who are now making a mark will soon be regulars in major European leagues, in fact some of them already are, and that opens up the market for a lot of these clubs to gain a toe hold in Africa. The next step is to see an African finalist in the world cup. Then it will truly be the “time for Africa”.
Boria Majumdar is an eminent sports historian, journalist, and writer. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of Revsportz.
first published: Jul 4, 2026 10:19 am
