The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has introduced 10 nominees for the 2026 Men’s National Team of the Year award, following an eventful 12 months for African soccer. The nominations function nations that represented the continent at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, the place Africa had a document 10……
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has introduced 10 nominees for the 2026 Men’s National Team of the Year award, following an eventful 12 months for African soccer. The nominations function nations that represented the continent at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, the place Africa had a document 10 representatives in the expanded 48-team match.
The 10 nominees are Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. Note: The performances beneath seek advice from the nations’ campaigns at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the main match highlighted in CAF’s assessment of the nominees.
African groups made a big influence at the match, with 9 of the 10 nations progressing past the group stage to the Round of 32. Morocco and Egypt superior to the Round of 16, whereas Morocco went additional to achieve the quarter-finals. Cape Verde additionally made historical past with its first-ever World Cup look and qualification for the knockout stage.
1. Algeria
– Reached the Round of 32.
– Lost 3–0 to Argentina of their opening Group J match.
– Recorded a 2–1 victory over Jordan.
– Drew 3–3 with Austria to progress from the group.
– Their marketing campaign ended with a 2–0 defeat to Switzerland in the Round of 32.
2. Cape Verde
– Made their maiden look at the FIFA World Cup.
– Progressed to the Round of 32.
– Drew 0–0 with Spain of their opening Group H match.
– Played out a 2–2 draw in opposition to Uruguay and a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia.
– Their historic marketing campaign ended with a 3–2 defeat to Argentina after additional time in the Round of 32.
3. Ivory Coast
– Reached the Round of 32.
– Started their Group E marketing campaign with a 1–0 victory over Ecuador.
– Lost 2–1 to Germany.
– Secured qualification with a 2–0 win over Curaçao.
– Their marketing campaign ended with a 2–1 defeat to Norway in the Round of 32.
4. DR Congo
– Reached the Round of 32 after qualifying by the inter-confederation play-offs.
– Opened their Group Ok marketing campaign with a 1–1 draw in opposition to Portugal.
– Lost 1–0 to Colombia.
– Recovered with a 3–1 victory over Uzbekistan.
– Were eradicated following a 2–1 defeat to England in the Round of 32.
5. Egypt
– Reached the Round of 16.
– Drew 1–1 with Belgium of their opening Group G fixture.
– Defeated New Zealand 3–1.
– Played out a 1–1 draw in opposition to Iran.
– Beat Australia 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 attract the Round of 32 to achieve the Round of 16.
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6. Ghana
– Advanced to the Round of 32 after ending third in Group L.
– Began with a 1–0 victory over Panama.
– Played out a goalless draw in opposition to England.
– Lost 2–1 to Croatia.
– Their marketing campaign ended with a 1–0 defeat to Colombia in the Round of 32.
7. Morocco
– Reached the quarter-finals.
– Drew 1–1 with Brazil of their opening Group C fixture.
– Defeated Scotland 1–0.
– Recorded a 4–2 victory over Haiti to advance.
– Progressed by the Round of 32 and Round of 16 earlier than dropping 2–0 to France in the quarter-finals.
– Became the first African nation to achieve consecutive World Cup quarter-finals.
8. Senegal
– Progressed to the Round of 32 after ending third in Group I.
– Lost 3–1 to France of their opening match.
– Suffered a 3–2 defeat to Norway.
– Finished the group stage with a 5–0 victory over Iraq.
– Their marketing campaign ended with a 3–2 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 32.
9. South Africa
– Reached the Round of 32 after ending second in Group A.
– Lost 2–0 to hosts Mexico of their opening match.
– Drew 1–1 with Czechia.
– Defeated South Korea 1–0 to progress.
– Were eradicated after a 1–0 defeat to Canada in the Round of 32.
10. Tunisia
– Were the solely African representatives who didn’t progress past the group stage.
– Began their Group F marketing campaign with a 5–1 defeat to Sweden.
– Lost 4–0 to Japan.
– Finished with a 3–1 defeat to the Netherlands.
– Exited the match with out recording a group-stage victory.
