The Final Two! Egypt & Morocco Keep Africa’s Historic World Cup Journey Alive

Ten African nations qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the largest ever African contingent at a World Cup. Nine of them made it out of the group stage. And now, after a breathless Round of 32, two remain: Egypt and Morocco. If the group stage was Africa’s statement of arrival, the knockout rounds are where the real story begins.

Every team that has gone home left something behind worth remembering. Tunisia gave it everything in a tough group. Algeria pushed Switzerland all the way. South Africa made their knockout stage debut and showed the world exactly why they belonged there. Ghana were competitive until Colombia edged them out at Kansas City. Ivory Coast took Norway to the wire before Haaland’s late winner ended their campaign. DR Congo led England and had the Leopards dreaming of one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, before Harry Kane turned the game on its head. Senegal led Belgium 2-0 with four minutes of normal time remaining and still somehow ended up on the wrong side of a 3-2 scoreline in extra time. And Cabo Verde, in their very first World Cup, pushed defending champions Argentina all the way to extra time before going out 3-2, leaving the tournament as its most beloved story. Each exit stung, but each team made Africa proud in the process.

Now, the baton passes to Egypt and Morocco.

Egypt’s story at this World Cup has been nothing short of historic. Arriving with Mohamed Salah leading the line at what many believe is his last World Cup, the Pharaohs were hunting for the one thing that had always eluded them: a World Cup knockout victory. They came through a competitive Group G that included Belgium and Iran, with Salah contributing throughout, and set up a Round of 32 clash against Australia in Dallas.

The match finished 1-1 after extra time, Emam Ashour giving Egypt the lead before Mohamed Hany’s unfortunate own goal levelled things in the 55th minute. When it went to penalties, Egypt did not blink, winning the shootout 4-2 to seal their first ever knockout stage victory at a FIFA World Cup. An entire country erupted. Next up, they face defending champions Argentina at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Tuesday, 7 July.

Morocco, meanwhile, have been making a very loud case for themselves as one of the tournament’s most complete teams. Under new coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who replaced Walid Regragui just months before the tournament, the Atlas Lions arrived ranked sixth in the world and have played like it from the first whistle. In Group C, they drew 1-1 with Brazil in a match Morocco largely controlled, with Ismael Saibari producing a brilliant lob over Alisson to give them the lead before Vinícius Júnior equalised. Back-to-back wins over Scotland and Haiti, the latter a commanding 4-2 victory, saw them finish second in the group on seven points.

Then came the Netherlands in the Round of 32, and Morocco won on penalties 3-2 after a 1-1 draw, keeping their composure when it mattered most. Saibari, who has since signed for Bayern Munich, has been Morocco’s most dangerous player, scoring in all three group games and then slotting in the winning penalty against the Dutch. Achraf Hakimi and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou have been commanding throughout, with Bilal El Khannouss adding creative drive in midfield that has caused opponents real problems all tournament. The Atlas Lions now face Canada at NRG Stadium in Houston tomorrow Sunday, 5 July, and they go into that game with an unbeaten run of 34 matches in normal time that nobody seems to want to be the one to end.

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