Africa's World Cup success leaves Asia searching for answers

Africa's performance at the 2026 World Cup has been a dramatic reversal of fortunes, leaving Asian football officials searching for answers. In 2018, none of Africa's five teams advanced past the group stage, managing only three wins from 15 matches. Eight years later, nine of ten African nations progressed to the knockout rounds, vindicating FIFA President Gianni Infantino's expansion of the tournament to 48 teams.

Africa's remarkable turnaround

Only Tunisia failed to advance from Africa's contingent. Cape Verde, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Morocco, and South Africa finished as group runners-up, while Algeria, DR Congo, Ghana, and Senegal progressed as third-placed teams. This success stands in stark contrast to Asia, where only two of nine countries—Japan and South Korea—reached the knockout stage.

Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe attributed the improvement to "hard work and investments in youth football development, coaching and professional football leagues" across the continent. The first signs of progress emerged at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where two African nations reached the knockout stage for the first time. Morocco then made history by becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals, defeating Belgium, Spain, and Portugal before losing to France.

Morocco's blueprint for success

Morocco's achievement has become a template for other African nations. Former Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong told BBC Sport Africa: "Morocco created a blueprint of how it can be done, which is years and years of investing in grassroots football and academies. They have invested not just money but also time and effort, with a clear idea of how they can progress. The facilities they have, the consistency throughout their age groups, I think that's the only blueprint you can follow."

The expansion of the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, with 12 groups of four, has also played a role. In previous tournaments, two of the top 16 teams would typically be placed in each group. Now, only four groups contain two traditionally stronger countries, and third-placed teams advance, creating a 32-team knockout round—the same size as the entire group stage in Qatar.

Asia's struggles and the road ahead

Asia's poor showing has raised questions about the region's development. With only two teams advancing, the continent's football authorities face pressure to reassess their strategies. Meanwhile, Africa's representatives continue to make their mark. South Africa were eliminated in the last 32 by a late goal from Canada, while Morocco—now ranked sixth in the FIFA World Rankings, one place above the Netherlands—prepare to face the Dutch in the knockout stage. A decade ago, Morocco would have been considered underdogs, but their current form and ranking make them genuine contenders.

Morocco's path to the semi-finals is complicated by the presence of the top four ranked teams—Argentina, England, France, and Spain—in a separate bracket. Nevertheless, the North Africans have already proven they can compete with the world's best, and their success has inspired a continent.