LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Three African nations have secured places in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, underlining the continent’s strong performance at the expanded tournament.
Morocco, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire are the first African teams to confirm qualification for the knockout stage, while six other nations remain in contention ahead of their final group matches.
Morocco finished second in Group C after defeating Haiti 4-2 to set up a Round of 32 meeting with Group F winners the Netherlands on June 29.
South Africa made history by reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.
Bafana Bafana recovered from an opening defeat to co-hosts Mexico by drawing with Czechia before beating Korea Republic to finish second in Group A.
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They will face Canada in the Round of 32 on June 28.Côte d’Ivoire also booked their place in the knockout phase after finishing second in Group E with victories over Ecuador and Curaçao.
The Elephants will meet the runners-up from Group I on June 30.Egypt remain well placed to qualify after collecting four points from their opening two matches to lead Group G.
Ghana are also on four points and sit second in Group L behind England on goal difference.Cabo Verde occupy third place in Group H with two points, level with Uruguay but behind on goal difference, while Algeria are third in Group J with three points, the same total as Austria.
Senegal and Congo DR are no longer in contention for automatic qualification but could still progress depending on their final group results and the ranking of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
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Elsewhere, hosts Mexico, the United States, Germany, Argentina, France, Norway, Colombia, Switzerland, Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ecuador and Sweden have also advanced to the Round of 32.
Tunisia are the first African team to beeliminated from the competition, joining Haiti, Türkiye, Jordan, Panama, Qatar, Czechia and Curaçao.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first edition to feature 48 teams, with the top two teams from each of the 12 groups and the eight best third-placed teams progressing to the Round of 32.