Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi (L) and France forward Kylian Mbappe fight for the ball during a World Cup quarter-final.
“When four-time World Cup winners Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 tournament, then head coach Gennaro Gattuso lamented that Africa had so many places at the global showcase. ‘Africa deserves fewer World Cup slots,’ he said, referring to the number of automatic qualifying places allocated to that continent rising from five to nine in an expanded 48-nation event. It became 10 when the Democratic Republic of Congo won an inter-continental play-off and returned to the World Cup after 52 years. Was Gattuso, a midfielder in the Italian 2006 World Cup-winning team, correct? Was Africa over represented in the United States, Canada and Mexico? Apart from a disastrous showing by Tunisia, who axed coach Sabri Lamouchi after their first group game and lost all three matches, African flag-bearers proved competitive, justifying their presence. …”
Yahoo
African teams are making World Cup history, 60 years after boycotting
Ghana’s Inaki Williams celebrates after a scoreless draw against England in the World Cup in Foxborough last month.
“Canada won its first knockout game at the men’s World Cup, beating South Africa in dramatic circumstances to set up a last-16 tie with the Netherlands or Morocco. The co-hosts had never progressed beyond the group stage before but will now have the chance to go deeper still, after Stephen Eustaquio prompted wild scenes by scoring a stoppage-time winner in this round-of-32 game at SoFi Stadium, near Los Angeles. It is the end of the road for South Africa, which was also competing in its first knockout tie at soccer’s biggest international tournament. Canada now travels to Houston, with Jesse Marsch’s side hoping to upset one of the competition’s stronger teams with a place in the quarter-finals at stake. …”
“A 1-1 draw felt like a fair result as the Czech Republic and South Africa walked out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday. It was not a good version of World Cup football, though. Both teams struggled to attack with any level of cohesion. In a group that features South Korea and co-hosts Mexico, the European and African sides look the weakest of the four. 
“Mexico outclassed South Africa in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup in Mexico City, winning 2-0 as three players were sent off in a chaotic start to the tournament. To put it in perspective, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there were only four red cards across the whole tournament. Julián Quiñones opened the scoring in the ninth minute for the co-hosts with a shot through the legs of the South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, and Raúl Jiménez, who nearly six years ago fractured his skull while playing in the Premier League, increased Mexico’s lead in the 67th minute. …”
“Incondicionales – Unconditional. Few countries have a knottier relationship with the World Cup than Mexico. The tournament will visit for an unprecedented third time this summer. Entire chapters of football history have been written on the turf of the Estadio Azteca, one of the sport’s holy sites. The Mexican national team, known to fans as El Tri, have missed only five World Cups. They have been ever-present since 1990, reliably contributing to the colour and fanfare of the greatest show on earth. That’s the good stuff. The consensus view, however, is that it is outweighed by the bad. …”
“The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is in full swing, and while you will have mostly been concerning yourself with the business of who’s winning and who’s losing, there is one very important thing to consider. Yes, that’s right: the kits. At past AFCONs, the kits on display have varied wildly: there have been the good, the bad, the garish, the boring, the outlandish and the plain mad. Happily, this tournament is no different. So read on to discover the definitive verdict on who has worn the best threads out in Morocco (we’ve only included the kits that have actually been worn as, sadly, some have not yet seen the light of day). …”
“The connection between sport and politics is implicit, particularly in African football. The beautiful game has long functioned as a site of resistance, liberation, identity, and togetherness. These politics surface at every level of the game: from the federation to the team, from players to fans. But, then there is Bafana Bafana. The South African men’s national football team exists in a curious parallel universe. Despite football being the country’s most popular sport, the national selection can shrug off political codes in a way others cannot. This is uncharacteristic, especially considering how the country’s affinity for political discourse permeates elsewhere. …”
“The knockout stage of the 
“Senegal underlined their TotalEnergies CAF AFCON title credentials with a commanding 3-0 victory over Benin in their final Group D encounter, in an entertaining contest played in Tangiers on Tuesday evening. The former African champions made a purposeful start and were rewarded in the 38th minute, when Abdoulaye Seckrose highest to power home a header from Krépin Diatta’s well-delivered set piece, giving Senegal a deserved lead at the interval. Benin showed greater urgency after the restart, testing Édouard Mendy through efforts from Aiyegun Tosin and Junior Olaïtan, but Senegal remained well organised at the back and clinical in their attacking play. Senegal doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute, with star forward Sadio Mané turning provider, slipping a neat pass into the area for Habib Diallo, who made no mistake with a composed left-footed finish from close range. …”
“Morocco responded emphatically to the pressure of a decisive final group match, producing a commanding 3–0 victory over Zambia on Monday night to finish top of Group A at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025. The hosts set the tone early, playing with urgency and clarity from the opening exchanges. Their dominance was rewarded inside nine minutes when Ayoub El Kaabi opened the scoring. A cleverly worked short corner from the right saw Azzedine Ounahi float an inviting delivery to the far post, where El Kaabi rose unchallenged to head home from close range. The second goal arrived in the 27th minute, once again highlighting Ounahi’s creative influence. The midfielder slipped a perfectly weighted pass down the left to Abde Ezzalzouli, whose low cross evaded El Kaabi but fell invitingly to Brahim Diaz. The winger showed composure to guide a left-footed finish past goalkeeper Toaster Nsabata Mwanza, doubling the lead before half-time. …”
“Cameroon and defending champions Côte d’Ivoire shared the spoils in a pulsating 1–1 draw in their second Group F fixture at the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025. At the end of 90 minutes, neither side could find a decisive edge in a gripping encounter in Marrakesh. Junior Tchamadeu’s deflected effort midway through the second half cancelled out a moment of brilliance from Amad Diallo, whose stunning opener had put the Ivorians ahead in a contest rich in quality, intensity and goal-mouth action. The opening exchanges were tight and tactical, with both sides showing caution. Cameroon came close to breaking the deadlock after 20 minutes when Christian Kofane rose highest to meet a cross from the left, only to see his header crash against the crossbar. …”
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“It is impossible to imagine the Africa Cup of Nations without music. The opening ceremony is always launched with a commissioned anthem. It is rare to catch sight of young African players without headphones on. Increasingly, teams now arrive at stadiums with loudspeakers in tow, breaking into synchronized chants or dances as they make their way to the dressing room. Now that Matchday 1 of the 2025 AFCON is in the books, we’ve had enough time to get a sense of what everyone has been listening to at Africa’s biggest football party. Here’s a round-up of what players and fans are listening to after the opening matchday of the tournament. Stadium arrivals have become one of the defining features of the AFCON. In no other competition do teams step off their bus chanting in unison as they enter the stadium and walk toward the dressing room. …”
Sofyan Amrabat of Morocco challenged by Lassine Sinayoko of Mali during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Morocco and Mali at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on 26 December 2025
“The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, known in short as the 2025 AFCON or CAN 2025and for 
Larbi Ben Barek of Marseille and Eloy of Sedan during a French Cup quarterfinals match in 1954.
“Music and African football have always been inextricably linked. Think of some of Africa’s most iconic moments in football: Roger Milla and his dance at the corner flag, Siphiwe Tshabalala and Bafana Bafana on the half-turn in synchronized rhythm, and Robert Kidiaba bum-bouncing after a goal. It’s not just the players that punctuate the rhythm of play with dance, at times the terraces at Cup of Nations tournaments can turn into impromptu flash mobs. With just a few days to go before we kick off the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, we’ve put together our official Africa Is A Country playlist, exploring some of the most iconic songs in African football and explaining why they mean so much to so many on the continent. …”
Scissors Kick 