Cape Verde are currently on a dream journey. The team's next opponent in the 2026 World Cup will be Lionel Messi's Argentina. This is just a small part of the impressive performance of African countries in the league stage at this World Cup. After expanding to 48 teams, a record 10 African countries participated in this time's World Cup.

Of those, Tunisia was the only unlucky team to return home. All others reached the last 32. Spain, England, Portugal and Brazil were contenders before the tournament, but all of these teams failed to defeat African opponents. Algerian star Riyad Mahrez says, 'The current World Cup performance shows how high the level of African football has reached.'

He says, 'Nine out of ten African teams have now reached the last 32. It has a special meaning.’ Cape Verde’s incredible journey in particular has been a testament to FIFA’s decision to make the World Cup bigger. Otherwise, many critics have accused FIFA of being solely concerned with generating as much revenue as possible.

Cape Verde are the smallest country to reach the knockout stages of a World Cup. That’s both in terms of population and area. The team held Spain to a goalless draw in their first and debut match. The team’s 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vojinha, has suddenly become one of the most popular players in world football. He now has 17 million followers on Instagram.

The team has also seen two-time winners Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, the hosts of the 2034 World Cup, exit the tournament. Tunisia’s performance has been truly exceptional. Not only did the team lose all three matches, but they also conceded 12 goals. DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre is not surprised by the African team's performance. He says, "It's been 15 years since I worked with the African team. I think the football associations of African countries are now starting to get organized. That's why the players' performance has also improved. I think the progress of the African team will not stop. I think the performance of the African team will improve further in the future." For coach Desabre, the African team's improved performance will only be a matter of time. Morocco has even dreamed of winning the World Cup. Team coach Mohamed Kouhabi says, "We have to focus on our goals and work hard." Now it seems like our goal should be to win the World Cup.'

He further argues, 'Now the Moroccan team has added a new dimension to world football. Now not only do our fans believe in the team, the opposing team has also started showing respect for us.'

This time, even a team like Curacao has made history by performing well. The team's challenge in the competition is over, but we should not forget that the team held Ecuador to a goalless draw.

In contrast, the performance of the Asian team in the World Cup was very poor. While the African team is advancing, the Asian team is lagging behind. Except for Japan and Australia, no other Asian team has reached the knockout stage. Jordan and Uzbekistan made their debuts in the World Cup, but neither of them could collect a single point. Despite beating the Czech Republic, South Korea failed to qualify after finishing third after losing to Mexico and South Africa.