Morocco’s senior team made history at the last World Cup hosted in Qatar in 2022 by finishing in fourth and making history as the first African nation to reach the semifinals of the tournament.

What the senior team missed out on has been achieved by the Under-20 team after they beat Argentina, whose senior team currently reign as the World Cup champions, in a 2-0 clash in a historic run in Chile on Sunday night. They took home the Under-20 World Cup yesterday.

Yassir Zabiri, of FC Famalicao in the Portuguese top flight, took Argentina by surprise when he found the back of the net just 12 minutes into the game.

After a sequence involving Ismael Baouf and Othmane Maamma, Zabiri finished with a volley to double Morocco’s lead at the 29th minute. Before Morocco’s win against Argentina, they beat South Korea, the United States and France in the knockout. It became the first African nation to win the U20 title since Ghana in 2009.

Morocco’s senior national team, on the other hand, have secured their ticket for the 2026 World Cup after finishing first in its group.

However, Argentina suffered their first loss in the tournament as it aimed for it’s seventh title. Despite the injury sideline of two of its best players in this age group, Bayer Leverkusen’s Claudio Echeverri and Real Madrid´s Franco Mastantuono, the team still made it to the final although they couldn’t clinch to the trophy.

Nine (9) African nations have secured their tickets to the global football tournament, FIFA 2026 World Cup, following the wrap-up of the CAF qualification campaign.

The World Cup qualifiers delivered an exciting blend of comeback tales and breakthroughs. Cape Verde made it this time, marking their maiden participation, a feat they describe as the second-best thing to happen to their nation aside from independence, being the second-smallest nation to ever qualify for the tournament. Their new record is reminiscent of Iceland’s trailblazing run in 2018.

On the other hand, Ivory Coast and South Africa secured long-awaited returns to the global stage, while established powerhouses like Senegal, Morocco, and Tunisia once again proved their dominance, highlighting the growing competitiveness and maturity of African football on the world scene.

The Black Stars of Ghana made history, qualifying for a fifth World Cup, led by former player Otto Addo.

So far, the confirmed nations that have officially been named among the qualifiers include Ghana Black Stars, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, South Africa, and Cape Verde. With some of the top national teams set to compete at the global showpiece, the expectations would be high.

Morocco reached the semi-finals at the 2022 edition and made Africa very proud. Hopefully, one of the nine qualified national teams would match that feat or even go a step closer to playing in the final. President John Dramani Mahama hopes the Black Stars will aim higher beyond their qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He has urged the team to emulate Morocco and, in broader terms, envision doing more.

President Mahama cited Morocco as a model because they made history at the 2022 FIFA World Cup by becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals.

Ghana sealed their place at the 2026 World Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Comoros courtesy of a decisive goal from Mohammed Kudus in their final Group I qualifier at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, October 12, marking the country’s fifth appearance at football’s biggest tournament.

Referring to an unforgettable situation in the history of Ghana football, where Asamoah’s penalty miss cost Ghana’s place in the semi-finals, he urged the team,

“We must follow in the footsteps of Morocco by going beyond the semi-finals and, who knows, with fingers crossed, bring the World Cup trophy home to make Ghana and Africa proud”.

He further went on to call on Ghanaians to support the team without any bias.

“We must all rally behind the Black Stars. We must support them to the hilt. Let’s not bring in any partisan or ethnic considerations. Let’s give them our full support,” he added.

The Black Stars will discover their group-stage opponents during the World Cup draw on December 5, 2025, at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Following a group-stage exit at their previous World Cup in Qatar, Ghana now hopes to make a lasting impact in the 2026 tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino congratulated Ghana for securing its ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Meanwhile, German manufacturer Adidas, which has been designing World Cup balls since the 1970 tournament, has once again produced the official match ball for the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup.

Named Trionda, the ball was officially unveiled on Thursday, October 2, during a global launch event at Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City. The presentation, hosted jointly by FIFA and Adidas, showcased the ball’s design, technology, and symbolic meaning.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, during the unveiling of the ball, said, “The Official Match Ball for the FIFA World Cup 26 is here, and it’s a beauty! “I am delighted and proud to present the Trionda.”

Trionda, originating from Spanish, is interpreted as “tri” (three) and “onda” (wave), which signifies the three host countries of the global tournament. Trionda stuns with an aesthetic design which has representations from all three host countries, Canada, Mexico, and the USA, with features including Red panels with maple leaves for Canada, green panels with eagle motifs for Mexico and blue panels with stars for the USA. It also has a central triangle formed by the panel seams, symbolising unity.