2002 – Korea Japan
Five African nations that qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup are Cameroon, Senegal, Tunisia, South Africa, and Nigeria.
All except Senegal left in the Group Stage. Senegal, despite being their first appearance at the World Cup went on to reach quarter finals but were defeated by Turkey by 1 – 0.
They were the second African team to play in the quarter finals after Cameroon in 1990.
African teams recorded total of 4 wins in the game, scoring 16 (10%) out of the 161 overall goals.
2006 – Germany
Four African teams made their World Cup debut in 2006 – Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Angola and Togo. The fifth country to qualify was Tunisia.
Only Ghana made it to the round of 16 where they were defeated by Brazil 3-0.
African teams recorded 3 wins at the tournament, scoring 13 (9%) out of the 147 overall goals in the game.
2010 – South Africa
Six African teams participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup – Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and South Africa (host).
All except Ghana left in the group stage. Ghana made it to Quarter finals but were defeated in a 4 – 2 penalty by Uruguay following a 1-1 draw.
African teams recorded 4 wins in the tournament, scoring 14 (10%) of the total 145 goals.
Read also: List of World Cup winners
2014 – Brazil
Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Only two African teams – Nigeria and Algeria made it to the round of 16. France defeated Nigeria 2 – 0 while Germany beat Algeria 2 – 1.
African teams recorded 3 wins in the game, scoring 19 (11%) of the total 171 goals.
2018 – Russia
Five African teams at the 2018 World Cup were Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco, and Tunisia.
For the first time since 1982, no African team advanced to the knockout round of the World Cup.
African teams recorded 3 wins in the game, scoring 16 (10%) of the total 169 goals in the tournament.
2022 – Qatar
Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Cameroon, and Ghana represented the African continent in the just concluded World Cup in Qatar.
Two teams – Senegal and Morocco made it to the round of 16. Morocco went on to play in the semi finals, becoming the first African country to reach the semi finals. They were however defeated by France by 2 – 0. In the third place play-off, Croatia beat Morocco 2 – 1.
African teams recorded 7 wins in Qatar, scoring 21 (12%) of the total 172 goals in the tournament.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
