Nine out of the ten African teams representing the continent at the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualified for the Round of 32. D.R. Congo and Algeria were the last two CAF teams to progress following crucial results vs. Uzbekistan and Austria, respectively.
D.R. Congo came from behind to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 in their final Group K match at the Atlanta Stadium on Sunday morning.
The Leopards suffered an early setback when Uzbekistan went ahead at ten minutes through an impeccably lobbed goal by Eldor Shamurodov after the African side failed to clear their lines. An equalizing goal was scored in the 17th minute, albeit briefly, after D.R. Congo was adjudged to have committed a foul in the build-up.
One hour into the contest and there was still no breakthrough for the Leopards as frustration began to grow. In the 68th minute, D.R. Congo, who desperately needed a win, restored parity with a Yoane Wissa spotkick. Substitute Fiston Mayele ghosted into the box to turn the game on its head, poking the ball past Abduvokhid Nematov for a 2-1 lead at 78 minutes.
Wissa was not done yet, scoring a belter from outside the box in the first minute of added time to bury the game and send D.R. Congo to the knockouts with four points.
For the first time in their history, the Leopards have qualified to the FIFA World Cup knockout stage on their return after a 52-year hiatus. Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal drew 0-0 with Colombia, finishing second in the group with five points while the 2024 Copa America finalists secured first place with seven.
At the Kansas City Stadium, Algeria played out a six-goal thriller with Austria, sharing the spoils as the pair qualified for the knockouts.
The Desert Foxes cancelled out Marko Arnautovic’s early opener when Rafik Belghali sent two defenders to the ground before blasting the ball into the top corner just before the break.
Marcel Sabitzer put Austria back in front in the 55th minute before Algeria fought back to equalize again five minutes later. A ball swept across the face of goal fell to an unmarked Riyad Mahrez on his left foot. The end result was inevitable.
Mahrez thought he won it for Algeria with a right-footed finish in the 93rd minute but Sasa Kalajdzic made it 3-3 at the death a few seconds after coming on. In the other group match, Lionel Messi’s free kick goal from the bench capped off Argentina’s 3-1 win over Jordan.
90% (nine out of 10) African teams made it to the next round, which is a higher qualification rate than South America (83%), Europe (81%), North America (50%), and Asia (22%).
South Africa kick off Africa’s Round of 32 adventure with a clash against co-hosts Canada at the Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday. On Tuesday, Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire face the Netherlands and Norway, respectively.
D.R. Congo lock horns with England while Senegal go head-to-head with Belgium on July 1 before Algeria face Switzerland two days later.
Thereafter, Egypt plays Australia, Cabo Verde meets Argentina, and Ghana shares the pitch with Colombia on Saturday. Unfortunately, Tunisia will not be participating in the knockouts after finishing bottom of Group F.
READ ALSO: Chitundu offers transfer tips to Patson Daka
