Best African team at 2026 FIFA World Cup prediction: Can Morocco live up to the hype?

Inspired by Morocco's historic run to the semi-finals at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, we have made a “Best African team at 2026 FIFA World Cup prediction”, where we analyse if any African team could go further than Morocco in the next tournament co-hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.

Mighty Morocco to make history again?

The landscape of global football changed forever in 2022 when Morocco shattered the glass ceiling for African nations. Before that tournament, no African team had ever reached a World Cup semi-final. Walid Regragui’s side rewrote history by claiming some of the biggest scalps in the game.

Morocco’s path was a masterclass in resilience, having topped a group featuring 2018 finalists Croatia, a top-ranked Belgium, whom they dismantled 2-0, and a spirited Canada side. The knockout rounds cemented their legendary status, as they eliminated former champions Spain on penalties and sent Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal packing with a 1-0 quarter-final victory. While they eventually fell 2-0 to France in the semi-final and took fourth place, they proved that African tactical discipline could stifle the world’s best.

Now at 2026 World Cup with the tournament expanded to 48 teams and Africa now boasting nine guaranteed spots, the continent is no longer just aiming for the knockouts, they have belief that they can win the trophy.

How many African teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup?

The 2026 World Cup will include the new expanded format of 48 teams for the first time, up from 32. This means that nine African teams qualifed automatically for the tournament, up from five in Qatar, with a 10th qualifying through the intercontinental play-off.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has changed its qualifying format as a result, with 54 teams split into nine groups of six, although it must be noted that Eritrea pulled out. Each team that finished top of each group qualified for the 2026 World Cup, with four best losers making it to a playoff for the one slot of who represented Africa at the intercontinental play-off.

Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia secured their spots through the automatic qualification rounds, while DR Congo joined them by winning one of the two slots from the intercontinental play-off.

How many African teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup round of 32?

A record-breaking nine African teams qualified for the FIFA 2026 World Cup round of 32, which means 90% of the continent's 10 representatives advanced to the knockout stage, setting an unprecedented historical milestone for African football.

Only Tunisia was eliminated during the group stage, with Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde, Egypt, Congo and Algeria all making it to the knockout stage.

How many African teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup round of 16?

While a record nine African countries successfully advanced from the group stage to the Round of 32, seven of them were subsequently eliminated, with only Egypt and Morocco making it to the Round of 16.

Best African team at 2026 FIFA World Cup prediction – African Winner (E/W) odds

If any African team so much as reaches the final in 2026, they will already have broken new ground, while also producing a winning result in the each-way World Cup outrights market. The odds are, of course, very long – but every World Cup edition, without fail, has seen a surprise package emerge to take on the very best in the knockout phase.

Morocco (33/1)

Perhaps no surprises here, as Morocco have the shortest odds of any African team to win the 2026 World Cup, and these odds have become smaller since the start of the 2026 World Cup, thanks to their performances againsr Brazil and Scotland.

The Atlas Lions were held to a 1-1 draw by Brazil, while they scored early to win 1-0 against the Scottish and capped it with a 4-2 victory over Haiti to finish second in the group, setting up a blockbuster Round of 32 meeting with the Netherlands.

They then produced another memorable display, recovering from a goal down to draw 1-1 before eliminating the Dutch 3-2 on penalties, with Ismael Saibari converting the decisive spot kick.

Morocco faced Canada in the Round of 16, thrashing the co-hosts 3-0 to set upa quarter-final date with France, an opportunity to avenge their semi-final loss in rhe hands of the same opponent in the 2022 World Cup, while victory will also see them match that same feat of reaching the last four.

Apart from their performances in this edition, their run to the semi-finals in 2022 is a clear contributory factor, while they also arrive at 2026 as the official Africa Cup of Nations holders — awarded the title retrospectively by CAF despite losing the actual final to Senegal on the pitch.

Famously, the competition is still yet to see a winner outside of Europe or South America since its first iteration in 1930, so it would be a huge upset to see an African team win it, as evidenced by the long odds here.

Egypt (Eliminated in the Round of 16)

Boasting the fourth-shortest odds among African teams in the 2026 World Cup, Egypt have historically been the team to beat in African football, after winning AFCON a record seven times, and enter the global tournament ranked 28th in the current FIFA World Rankings.

The Pharaohs, despite being the first African nation to make an appearance at the World Cup — in 1934 — are only making their fourth appearance in the competition this year, and they have been drawn in Group G with Belgium, New Zealand and Iran.

Mohamed Salah, who finished fourth in the 2025 Ballon d'Or, spearheads the side, arriving at the tournament having bid farewell to the Merseyside Reds. The winger, who turned 34 on the very day the Pharaohs took on Belgium in their group opener, marked his birthday by providing an assist as Egypt held the Red Devils to a 1-1 draw.

They beat New Zealand 3-1, as Salah netted his first goal of this edition in that game, before settling for a 1-1 draw against Iran which was enough to sit second in the group.

That second place set them up to face Australia in the Round of 32, and they advanced via penalties after a 1-1 draw at the end of extra time. However, the Pharaohs lost 32 to Argentina in the round of 16, squandering a two-goal lead late in the game.

Senegal (Eliminated in the Round of 32)

The current African Cup of Nations (AFCON) holders – at least based on results from the game – Senegal are the second-highest-rated African team with the bookies. The Lions of Teranga have qualified for the previous two World Cups, and are making a fourth appearance at the global tournament overall.

Senegal's first berth in the World Cup came in the 2002 edition, where they reached the quarter-finals, while their journey in the 2022 mundial ended in the round of 16 following defeat to England, with only Morocco going farther in that tournament among African nations than the 2021 AFCON champions.

However, they kicked off their campaign with a 3-1 loss against France, and this saw the bookies increase their odds, with the difference in quality evident in that game, and it got even worse since their 3-2 defeat to Norway in the second game.

The Lions needed to win their final group match, and they did just that, thrashing Iraq 5-0 to secure a place in the round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams. They faced Belgium in the Round of 16, and despite leading 2-0 with five minutes left to play, they collapsed, and the game finished 2-2 at the end of 90 minutes, before they conceded a penalty in stoppage time of extra time to lose 3-2.

Ivory Coast (Eliminated in the Round of 32)

Ivory Coast lifted the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, and they arrive at the 2026 World Cup as one of Africa's most dangerous dark horses. The Elephants are making their fourth appearance at the tournament and their first since 2014, having successfully navigated qualification under the guidance of Emerse Fae.

Ivory Coast came close to reaching the knockout rounds during their previous World Cup appearances but have never progressed beyond the group stage. However, the current generation appears capable of changing that narrative, combining youthful energy with experience at the highest level.

With players such as Amad Diallo, Ousmane Diomande and Franck Kessie among their standout names, the Ivorians possess quality throughout the squad. While bookmakers consider them outsiders at 125/1, Ivory Coast have already shown that they are capable of upsetting more fancied opponents, after beating Ecuador 1-0 in their opening game.

The Elephants also went toe-to-toe with Germany, though they conceded two late goals in a 2-1 defeat, before picking up a 2-0 win over Curacao to book their place in the round of 32, where they faced Norway and lost 2-1.

Ghana (Eliminated in the Round of 32)

Ghana are marking their fifth appearance at the global competition, looking to match their best run in the tournament, which came in 2010, when they were eliminated in a dramatic quarter-final clash with Uruguay on penalties.

Currently ranked 74th in the FIFA World Rankings, Ghana were in arguably one of the toughest groups of any African nation in the global tournament, pitted alongside England, Croatia and Panama — though the four-time AFCON champions are not bereft of the notable and experienced players needed to navigate the so-called group of death.

Under new coach Carlos Queiroz, the Black Stars lean on stars like Antoine Semenyo and Thomas Partey, with Jordan Ayew leading the side, as they look to establish another deep run on the global stage.

Ghana kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over Panama, thanks to very late goal by Caleb Yirenkyi, while they famously held England to a goalless draw, before losing 2-1 to Croatia – results that earned them a place in the round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams.

They faced Colombia in the Round of 32 and they lost 2-1, ending theur journey.

Algeria (Eliminated in the Round of 32)

Despite not qualifying for the 2018 or 2022 editions, Algeria have the fifth-shortest odds of any African team to win this year's World Cup, and it might not be too surprising given how they were beaten 3-0 by Argentina in their opening fixture.

However, they redemeed themslves with a 2-1 win over Jordan on matchday two, before an entertaining 3-3 draw against Austria on matchday three to finish as one of the best third-placed teams, and they faced Switzerland in the round of 32, losing 2-0.

DR Congo (Eliminated in the Round of 32)

Making their first World Cup appearance since 1974, DR Congo arrived at the 2026 tournament as one of Africa's most intriguing outsiders after reaching the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and building a competitive squad around several Europe-based players.

Les Leopards are featuring in only their second World Cup finals and famously suffered three defeats in their maiden appearance when the nation competed as Zaire, meaning their 1-1 draw against Portugal marked a historic moment as they secured both their first goal and first point at the tournament through Yoane Wissa's equaliser.

That result briefly raised hopes of a surprise qualification push, but a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia in their second outing left their prospects hanging in the balance. However, they secured a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan on matchday three, which was enough to finish as one of the best third-placed teams, booking a round of 32 date with England.

Leo Leopards led the Three Lions for the most part of the game but conceded two goals in the last quarter to lose 2-1 and saw their journey end.

Cape Verde (Eliminated in the Round of 32)

Cape Verde entered the 2026 World Cup as one of the tournament's biggest underdogs, with the Blue Sharks making their debut appearance on football's grandest stage after several years of steady progress in African football.

The island nation has earned widespread praise in recent years for punching above its weight, regularly competing at the latter stages of the Africa Cup of Nations despite a population of under 600,000.

Their World Cup journey began in encouraging fashion as they held former champions Spain to a goalless draw, producing one of the biggest surprises of the opening round and immediately enhancing their reputation as a difficult team to break down.

Their reputation improved further after the entertaining 2-2 draw with Uruguay, and a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia in their last game was enough to help them finish second, earning a place in the round of 32, where they faced defending champions Argentina.

In a tough clash, Cape Verde took Argentina to extra time after a 1-1 draw in normal time, but they eventually lost 3-2 in a spirited display.

South Africa (Eliminated in the Round of 32)

South Africa returned to the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010, ending a 16-year absence from football's biggest stage and becoming one of six African representatives in North America.

Bafana Bafana are appearing at the World Cup for the fourth time and are still searching for a first-ever place in the knockout rounds, having previously exited at the group stage in 1998, 2002 and 2010.

Their campaign got off to a disappointing start with a 2-0 defeat against co-hosts Mexico in the opening match of the tournament, a contest in which disciplinary problems proved costly as South Africa finished with nine men following the dismissals of Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane.

However, they were able to hold Czech Republic to a 1-1 draw in their second game, before securing a 1-0 victiry over South Korea to finish second in Group A.

They faced co-hosts Canada in the round of 32, in a game they conceded in stoppage time, losing 1-0 to end their campaign.

Tunisia (Eliminated in the group stage)

Tunisia endured a disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign, finishing bottom of Group F without a point after suffering defeats in all three matches.

The Eagles of Carthage were thrashed 5-1 by Sweden in their opener before a 4-0 loss to Japan confirmed their elimination, and they concluded the tournament with a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands despite briefly threatening a comeback through Hazem Mastouri's goal. Defensive frailties and a lack of cutting edge ultimately condemned Tunisia to another group-stage exit.