Morocco and Egypt keep Africa’s dream alive as World Cup last-16 ties are set

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has reached the last-16 stage, with the knockout bracket now complete after a dramatic round of 32 that saw the field reduced from 32 teams to the final 16.

Africa, which made history by sending a record nine teams into the knockout rounds after an unprecedented group-stage campaign, has now been reduced to just two survivors following a series of heartbreaking exits.

Morocco and Egypt remain the continent’s hopes of a first-ever World Cup triumph after progressing through the opening knockout round.

Morocco continued their remarkable tournament by edging the Netherlands in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw, setting up a last-16 clash against Canada.

Egypt also kept their dream alive after overcoming Australia on penalties following another 1-1 draw, earning a mouth-watering tie against defending champions Argentina.

The continent’s other seven representatives bowed out despite several spirited displays.

Ghana suffered a narrow defeat to Colombia, while Algeria’s impressive run came to an end against Switzerland. Senegal pushed Belgium all the way before falling in a thrilling contest, DR Congo were edged out by England, Côte d’Ivoire lost to Norway, South Africa were beaten by Canada and Cabo Verde exited after an entertaining defeat to Argentina.

The last-16 line-up promises several heavyweight encounters, headlined by an all-Iberian showdown between Portugal and Spain, while England face CONCACAF champions Mexico in another blockbuster tie.

Brazil will take on surprise package Norway, France meet Paraguay, the United States face Belgium, and Switzerland battle Colombia for a place in the quarter-finals.

The full last-16 fixtures are:

• Canada vs Morocco
• Paraguay vs France
• Brazil vs Norway
• Mexico vs England
• Portugal vs Spain
• USA vs Belgium
• Argentina vs Egypt
• Switzerland vs Colombia

Africa’s representation has been cut from a record nine teams in the round of 32 to just Morocco and Egypt, but the pair now carry the hopes of an entire continent as they attempt to extend their historic World Cup campaigns and book places in the quarter-finals.

Daraja Kapoor

Daraja Kapoor is a highly respected football journalist, editor and analyst, known for his compelling storytelling and sharp, data-driven insights into the game. He specialises in match analysis, features, emerging talent coverage and football trends across Africa.He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Cape Coast and has built a strong reputation in the media industry through his disciplined approach and deep understanding of football.Daraja received his journalistic training at leading news platform Ghanaguardian.com and has worked with some of the most prominent football websites in Ghana, including Footballmadeinghana.com and Ghanasoccernet.com. He also served as Sports Editor of Talysports.com, where he played a key role in shaping editorial direction and content strategy.He is currently the Managing Editor of African.Football, where he leads the platform’s editorial vision, overseeing content production, quality control and the delivery of authoritative African football coverage to a global audience.

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