Cape Verde make history while South Africa return to the global stage for the first time since 2010

The nine African nations set to represent the continent at the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been confirmed. They are Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal, and Ivory Coast.

The standout story from the qualifiers is Cape Verde, who have secured a historic first-ever World Cup appearance. The island nation put together a remarkable campaign, winning seven matches, drawing two, and losing just once. They finished with 23 points, four ahead of Cameroon, to top their group and punch their ticket to the tournament.

South Africa also marked a major milestone, qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since they hosted it in 2010. Bafana Bafana topped Group C with five wins, three draws and two losses, showing consistency throughout the qualifying rounds to return to the global stage.