Can an African team win the 2026 World Cup? (Africanews Debates)

For the first time, Africa will be represented by 10 teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, raising expectations that the continent could produce another historic run on football’s biggest stage.

The tournament, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the first to feature 48 teams. Africa’s representation has increased from five teams in 2022 to 10 in 2026.

This was the focus of the June edition of Africanews Debates, which brought together sports journalists Angela Mensa, Kelvin Owusu Ansah, Philemon Mbale and Quentin Gesp.

The discussion looked at which African nations are best placed to challenge the world’s traditional football powers and whether Morocco’s historic achievement at the 2022 World Cup can be repeated.

Morocco remains a benchmark for African football after becoming the first African and Arab nation to reach a World Cup semi-final in Qatar. Since then, the Atlas Lions have remained among the continent’s strongest teams and qualified comfortably for the 2026 tournament.

The panel also assessed the prospects of other African contenders, including Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana and Algeria, all of whom will be hoping to make deep runs in the expanded competition. Africa’s representatives at the tournament are Algeria, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.

Watch the full debate to hear the panellists’ predictions for Africa’s chances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.