Africa's World Cup Slots Increase Sparks Debate Despite Mixed Results

When Italy, a four-time World Cup winner, failed to qualify for the 2026 tournament, coach Gennaro Gattuso expressed his frustration. He said, "Africa deserves fewer World Cup slots," after the number of automatic spots for Africa increased from five to nine in the new 48-team format.

The number of slots rose to 10 when the Democratic Republic of Congo won an intercontinental playoff, returning to the World Cup after 52 years.

Was Gattuso right? Did Africa have too many places in the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico?

Aside from Tunisia's poor performance, where they sacked coach Sabri Lamouchi after losing all three games, other African teams showed they could compete. The nine African teams reached the knockout stage, with five finishing as runners-up in their groups. The other four were among the eight best third-placed teams.

This means a 90% success rate, which is the highest among FIFA regions. South America follows with 83.33%, Europe with 81.25%, and Asia with 22.22%.

Europe did perform better in the knockout stage, with six teams reaching the quarter-finals. Africa and South America had one team each.

African teams struggled in the round of 32, with seven teams eliminated. Egypt made it to the round of 16, while Morocco became the first African team to reach the quarter-finals twice.

There was a worrying trend of conceding late goals. Big names like Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, and Erling Haaland took advantage. Messi equalized for Argentina after they were down 2-0 to Egypt, turning it into a 3-2 win. Kane scored twice as England narrowly beat DR Congo, while Haaland got the winner for Norway against Ivory Coast.

Senegal faced a shocking collapse, losing a two-goal lead against Belgium to lose after extra time. Many expected Senegal to shine among the ten African qualifiers, but they struggled, losing three of four games and only making it to the round of 32 as the eighth-best third-placed team.

After Senegal's exit, there were signs of trouble within the team. Midfielder Pape Gueye stated he would not play for Senegal again until coach Pape Thiaw was removed.

In another match, Egypt led Argentina 2-0 and had a goal controversially disallowed. But a comeback led to a header from Enzo Fernández that gave Argentina a 3-2 victory.

Hossam Hassan, Egypt's coach, suggested that the officiating team, led by French referee Francois Letexier, might have faced "external pressure" to favor Argentina.

FIFA referees chief Pierluigi Collina replied, saying, "Match officials make honest decisions and, like players and coaches, they always try to do their best."

TV analyst Thierry Henry remarked, "African sides relax too early. People talk about talent and passion, but when they go two goals up, the focus drops." Ex-Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic added, "Several African teams that were leading found a way to lose. In a World Cup, that is not bad luck, that is bad game management."

Morocco's loss to France in the quarter-finals showed that while African football is improving, there is still a gap when facing top European teams. It took Morocco 83 minutes to get a shot on target, which France goalkeeper Michael Maignan easily saved.

Morocco's coach Mohamed Ouahbi admitted, "France are a really great side... they have rarely had as much talent as they do now."

Morocco has already qualified for the 2030 World Cup, along with hosts Portugal and Spain. A new 115,000-seat stadium is being built near Casablanca for the final.

While Morocco had the best run, last-32 losers Cape Verde captured many hearts despite not winning any matches. The small island nation, with a population of just over half a million, held Spain to a 0-0 draw in their first match.

Goalkeeper Vozinha, who is 40 years old, made incredible saves against one of the tournament favorites. His social media following jumped from 50,000 to five million. Cape Verde equalized twice before losing 3-2 to Argentina in the last 32, and their second goal, a looping cross-cum-shot from Sidny Lopes Cabral, should be a contender for the best goal of the tournament.