ATLANTA (AP) — Africa had a historic 10 nations qualify for the 2026 World Cup. And now, following Congo’s 3-1 defeat of Uzbekistan on Saturday night, eight are officially headed to the knockout stage. The previous record was two.After 17 days of competition, Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde, Egypt and Congo qualified for the round of 32. Algeria can advance with a win or a draw against Austria on Saturday night.Morocco was the first African nation to reach the semifinals of the World Cup four years ago in Qatar and looks capable of going deep again, having already held Brazil to a 1-1 draw. It is a co-host for the next edition of the World Cup in 2030.Only six African countries had ever qualified for the knockout stage (several of them multiple times). The most in the same year had been two, in 2014 and ’22.
This year’s tournament has shown the strength of African soccer goes deep, with Cape Verde and Congo both surprise names in the round of 32.Congo has a tall task in facing England next, but for now, the team is soaking in the moment.“It’s really historic for our country, Congo,” forward Fiston Mayele said after the game. “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.”
