By Peter Effiom
In the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, African countries made a big impression, with a number of teams avoiding defeat and winning points against opponents ranked higher.
The opening program for the historic ten representatives of the continent was quite hard. In the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, they recorded 2 victories, 4 draws, and 4 defeats in ten games, scoring 7 goals and giving up 16 as a team. Their performance was uneven but resilient.
Round One Results for African Teams
Morocco 1 – 1 Brazil
Ivory Coast 1 – 0 Ecuador
Ghana 1 – 0 Panama
DR Congo 1 – I Portugal
Egypt 1 – 1 Belgium
Cape Verde 0 – 0 Spain
South Africa 0 – 2 Mexico
Tunisia 1 – 5 Sweden
Senegal 1 – 3 France
Algeria 0 – 3 Argentina
After the first round, the overall African record
Africa had three losses (Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, South Africa), four draws (Morocco, Egypt, Cape Verde, DR Congo), and two victories (Ghana and Ivory Coast).
Following their historic 2022 World Cup run, Morocco’s 1-1 tie with Brazil solidified their position as Africa’s top challenger.
Perhaps the biggest upset involving an African team was Cape Verde’s goalless draw with Spain.
Africa’s increasing ability to compete against top European sides was demonstrated by DR Congo’s draw with Portugal.
The only African sides to win their first games were Ghana and Ivory Coast. They both secured close 1-0 victories through critical, late-game execution, and they offered the ideal model for scoring as many points as possible.
Morocco, Egypt, Cape Verde, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are in a strong position following significant draws, while Ghana and the Ivory Coast hold qualifying spots in their respective groups.
Up to seven African sides still have a good chance of making it to the knockout stages if they make the most of their remaining group stage games, according to football analysts who are still upbeat.
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