The African Meridian Newsroom · Dakar, Senegal · 1 July 2026
In Dakar, Aba Sylla and Omar Gomis show up to every fan zone in matching shirts, trousers and hats in the colours of the Senegalese flag; Sylla’s motorbike carries a photo of himself painted head to toe in yellow, red and green. The pair belong to the “12ème Gaïndé” — the “12th lion” — Senegal’s official, government-recognised fan club. But this World Cup, their loyalty extends well beyond their own team.
“During the World Cup, all of the African countries that are a part of the World Cup come together,” Sylla said. “Because if Ivory Coast plays, it’s Africa who plays. If Senegal plays, it’s Africa who plays.”
That sense of continental solidarity has plenty to celebrate. A record ten African teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup, and a further record nine of them advanced to the Round of 32 — a showing fans and analysts alike are calling historic. Cape Verde reached the tournament for the first time in the country’s history, and Congo qualified for a World Cup for the first time in more than fifty years. Morocco eliminated the Netherlands to reach the Round of 16, extending the country’s run as one of the continent’s flag-bearers, while South Africa’s tournament ended in the earlier rounds, with manager Hugo Broos expected to depart the post.
In a bar in Ghana, Johnson Gameli Kportufe put the mood simply. “I think we are growing, Africa, yes we are growing,” he said. “Because nine teams out of ten have qualified to the second stage.”
African sports analyst Colin Udoh, however, cautioned that the continent’s football federations still have work to do off the pitch. “The federations are not paying players on time, not giving them the professional treatment they deserve or just not doing things that they need to do to have the players perform at a high level, and these things always translate to the pitch,” he said.
Still, Udoh argued, this tournament may finally be shifting perceptions that have lingered for years — including recent comments from Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso and UEFA’s leadership suggesting African teams should receive fewer World Cup slots. “For too long there has been a dismissal of African football,” Udoh said. “So Africa has always had quality. I think now the world is beginning to see it.”
Beyond the pitch, the tournament’s success for African sides has spilled into wider cultural celebration across the continent — from watch parties in Dakar and Accra to street celebrations in Rabat and Abidjan — a reminder, fans say, of how closely football and national identity remain bound together across Africa.