Three North African nations remain in contention at the 2026 World Cup, marking the first time Morocco, Algeria and Egypt have all reached the knockout stage of the same tournament. Morocco was the first to advance to the Round of 16 after defeating the Netherlands 3-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw on Monday. The victory extended the Atlas Lions' unbeaten run.
Morocco players run as Ismael Saibari #11 scores the team's fifth and winning penalty during the penalty shootout in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match with the Netherlands at Monterrey Stadium on June 29, 2026, in Guadalupe, Mexico. (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Morocco will next face Canada in Houston on July 4 after the Canadians edged South Africa 1-0 to reach the Round of 16. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals. In 2022, Morocco became the first African and first Arab nation to reach the semifinals.Algeria will be the next North African side in action when it faces Switzerland in Vancouver on July 2. The Swiss arrive unbeaten after topping Group B with seven points, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 and Canada 2-1 before drawing Qatar 1-1.Algeria's route to the knockout stage was considerably more dramatic. The Desert Foxes opened with a 2-1 victory over Jordan before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Argentina. They salvaged qualification with a 3-3 draw against Austria, conceding a stoppage-time Austrian equalizer that dropped Algeria from second to third place in Group J. Algeria's four points were enough to send them through as one of the tournament's eight best third-place group finishers.
