Sports
Africa’s Strongest, Weakest Points In World Cup Participation
If South Africans had wanted an omen in the run-up to yesterday’s opening clash against Mexico, they can take heart from the most tenuous of facts – that every time an African team has contested the World Cup opener, they have not only won it, but also made it to the quarter-finals.
Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002 are the two major highlights of Africa’s World Cup adventure, but what about the rest?
And what about the lowlights? Here are some of African highs and lows in the Mundial.
TOP 10 HIGHS:
The 1966 boycott: One of the highs was, at the time, a considerable low. With Africa awarded half a place at the World Cup by an intractable FIFA, the continent boycotted the 1966 finals. The drastic protest worked as Africa received its own berth for 1970.
Tunisia 1978: Nearly 50 years after Africa first participated in the World Cup, the continent recorded its first victory as Tunisia beat Mexico 3-1 in Rosario (although the Carthage Eagles haven’t won at the World Cup since).
Algeria 1982: Shocks had already rocked the World Cup but no one expected first-timers Algeria to beat the European champions.
Rabah Madjer opened the scoring, West German captain Karl-Heinz Rummenigge levelled, leaving it to the great Lakdar Belloumi to seal a late victory. “Germany had very good players but we also had a great team, with lots of experience and talent,” says Madjer.
Morocco 1986: The Atlas Lions continued North Africa’s pioneering World Cup role when becoming the first Africans into the second round. “Nobody could believe what we’d done because we were taking on Poland, England and Portugal,” says goalkeeper Badu Zaki, whose team topped the group unbeaten. “I think our performances persuaded FIFA that Africa deserved more places at the World Cup.”
Cameroon 1990: The Indomitable Lions’ Italian adventure is Africa’s proudest World Cup memory – headlined by Roger Milla’s goals and wiggling hips. Sub-Saharan Africa announced it could be a football power when Francois Omam-Biyik’s prodigious leap sunk defending champions Argentina 1-0.
Wins over Romania and Colombia followed and in the quarters, Thomas N’Kono, Cyrille Makanaky and co. were just seven minutes away from beating England. No African side has ever been so close to the semi-finals.
Roger Milla: Milla made his mark in 1990 but furthered a personal milestone when netting against Russia at USA ’94. The forward had reset the oldest goalscorer mark at 42 years – a World Cup record that will surely never be broken.
Nigeria 1994: Packing power and flair, the Super Eagles routed Bulgaria 3-0 – Rashidi Yekini pumping his fists through the net in celebration – while Daniel Amokachi netted a screamer against Greece.
Nigeria were then two minutes from the quarter-finals until ten-man Italy equalised. “It’s a shame we didn’t realise how good we were, as we lacked experience,” says Jay-Jay Okocha. “But 1994 helped us win the 1996 Olympics.”
Nigeria 1998: The Super Eagles are the only African side to twice reach the knock-outs. The highlight here was the 3-2 win over Spain, lit up by Sunday Oliseh’s sweet 25-yard half-volley. Okocha was also in sublime form, dazzling with his tricks and flicks.
Senegal 2002: Lightning struck twice as an unfancied African side defeated the reigning champions 1-0 in the opening game – Senegal’s humbling of former colonialists France inspired by El Hadji Diouf’s thrilling display.
Draws with Denmark and Uruguay, and a knock-out defeat of Sweden, took the Teranga Lions into the quarters, where they lost to Turkey. “The only game we prepared for like people wanted us to – having lunch, staying in your room, looking at the ceiling etc. – was the one we lost because mentally we’d already played the game,” laments midfielder Salif Diao.
FIFA’s Rotation Policy: 15 March 2001 was one of African football’s most momentous days for FIFA, who had decided to rotate the World Cup the year before, chose the continent to start the new system in 2010. Of course, 15 May 2004 is more celebrated in South Africa as that was the day the World Cup hosts won the bid.
THE LOWS:
Zaire 74: This display was a disaster as the African champions played three and lost three (scoring 0, conceding 14). In addition, Mwepu Ilunga showed scant regard for the rules when kicking away an opponents’ free-kick. He’s since claimed he was trying to get sent off in protest at the federation withholding money from the squad. “I knew the rules very well but the referee was lenient and only gave me a yellow.”
Togo 2006: Bonuses have been the bugbear of many African campaigns but the Hawks took things to a new level when becoming the first team to threaten to boycott a World Cup match.
With the FA refusing to pay the agreed amount, the players were set to sit out the Switzerland tie until FIFA guaranteed them funds. Later on, FIFA fined the Togolese FA for behaviour ‘unworthy of a World Cup participant’.
The ‘Shame of Gijon’, Spain 1982: This setback denied Algeria an historic place in the second round. Since they’d already played, group rivals West Germany and Austria knew a narrow German win in their contest would take both sides through.
After the Germans’ early goal, both sides made little attempt to score – sparking public outcry and FIFA to ensure that all final group ties were played simultaneously from then on. “We were tricked out of qualification but the anger has gone now,” says Madjer.
The Big-Name Absences: Africans decry the failure of Liberia’s George Weah, Ghana’s Abedi Pele and Mali’s Salif Keita. On this occasion, many fans were also dismayed by the absence of a team, six-time African champions Egypt, meaning Ahmed Hassan and Mohamed Aboutreika would be sorely missed.
The Quarter-Final Barrier: Despite winning the U17 World Cup, the U20 World Cup and the Olympic Games, Africa has never won the World Cup – nor reached the last four. Can the continent’s first World Cup rewrite history?
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”
The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.