Africa’s World Cup campaign is off to a promising start, with the continent’s teams claiming notable results against some of football’s biggest names and setting the stage for an intriguing group-stage battle.
African nations have made an encouraging start to their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaigns, producing a mix of impressive victories, hard-fought draws, and resilient performances against some of football’s heavyweights.
With nine African representatives at the expanded tournament, the continent has already recorded several standout results in the opening round of group-stage matches.
The biggest result came from North Africa as Morocco held five-time champions Brazil to a 1-1 draw in Group C, underlining the Atlas Lions’ status as one of Africa’s strongest teams. In Group E, Ivory Coast edged Ecuador 1-0 to claim all three points, while Egypt secured a valuable 1-1 draw against Belgium.
There was also a historic moment for DR Congo, who returned to the World Cup after a 52-year absence and earned a memorable 1-1 draw against Portugal. Yoane Wissa’s equaliser secured the country’s first-ever World Cup goal and denied Cristiano Ronaldo’s side victory. Reuters described the result as one of the early surprises of the tournament.
Elsewhere, Cape Verde produced one of the stories of the opening round by holding European champions Spain to a goalless draw. Cape Verde coach Bubista said the team’s World Cup journey was inspiring underdogs across Africa and demonstrating the growing competitiveness of African football on the global stage.
Not all African sides enjoyed positive starts. Senegal fell 3-1 to France in Group I, while Algeria suffered a 3-0 defeat to defending champions Argentina. Tunisia were beaten 5-1 by Sweden, although the North Africans will have opportunities to recover in their remaining group matches.
Meanwhile, Ghana made a winning start, defeating Panama 1-0 in Group L to boost their hopes of reaching the knockout stage. South Africa, the continent’s other representative, opened their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to hosts Mexico.
Matchday 1 Results –| African Teams
- Morocco 1-1 Brazil
- Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador
- Belgium 1-1 Egypt
- France 3-1 Senegal
- Argentina 3-0 Algeria
- Portugal 1-1 DR Congo
- Spain 0-0 Cape Verde
- Sweden 5-1 Tunisia
- Ghana 1-0 Panama
- Mexico 2-0 South Africa
After the opening round, Africa’s representatives have shown they can compete with the world’s best. Draws against Brazil, Portugal, Belgium and Spain, alongside victories for Ivory Coast and Ghana, have given the continent a promising platform heading into the decisive second round of group-stage fixtures.
