Morocco and eight other African nations advance to World Cup round of 32

Morocco returned to Mexico’s Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, the venue where the team was eliminated in the 1986 World Cup, to train ahead of its round‑of‑32 match against the Netherlands on 29 June 2026. The African side hopes to improve on the 1‑0 loss that ended its historic run in 1986 and will remain in Monterrey for two more days if it progresses.

Overall, nine of the ten African teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup have qualified for the knockout stage: Morocco, Senegal, Cabo Verde, Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Egypt, Ivory Coast and South Africa. Only Tunisia failed to advance. The tournament is the first to be co‑hosted by three nations – Mexico, Canada and the United States – and the African qualifiers will face a range of opponents across North America in the upcoming matches.