By Charles Junior Kachitsa
Nobody could have imagined that African national teams competing at this years 2026 FIFA Football World Cup Finals would be where they are now, in the knockout last 32 stage. Africa for the first time had 10 (ten) teams slots at this years tournament co-hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico. Out of the 10, nine (9) African national teams have progressed to the last 32 knockout stages.
After 17 days of competition, Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde, Egypt, DR Congo and Algeria qualified for the round of 32 according to last nights report by the ESPN Newspaper and as watched on live TV. It is only Tunisia out of ten that has fallen off at the preliminary stage.
When the song “This Time for Africa” was sang in 2010 by Shakira for the Republic of South Africa hosted version, most people clearly understood it to mean the first time the continent had the previlage to host this most popular sports world event. This time the song has a different meaning as just in like most sphere of areas in the world including economy, for the first time we might see two African national Football teams at the Semi-final Stage of the FIFA World Cup if not one of them progressing into the final.
In fact, in some countries for the African teams who have progressed, preparations have already started for the celebrations of winning this prestigious cup which will not only make history but will upset the narratives that for centuries have been there in football. Moreover, it is in Africa that skills, talent and vocations are perfected. Export any practice to Africa and receive it back after ten years or so, you will realise how things are added to bring in a version that is undeniably superior, in this case African football is coming of age more influenced by those players who are playing in foreign countries leagues.
A football tournament will not be exciting without African teams with their colourful and musical fans. Enigmatic for the FIFA World Football Cup Men’s Finals is the DR Congo icon, Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, a living statue representing the liberation of his country and Africa as a whole. He has not been as visible on TV as at AFCON, but is still present enough to be noticed. DR Congo team and Algeria only progressed on to the last 32 with the results of their last group games played this morning.
What ever the results will turn out to be and what ever will be written afterwards, things will never be the same for African football regarding their place on the world stage, particularly in subsequent FIFA World Cup Football Cup Finals.
