Expansion was kind to Africa: a record nine direct slots. Through came Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, South Africa and the fairytale of the cycle — Cape Verde. DR Congo took the continent's intercontinental play-off place (and came through it).
Cape Verde, a tiny island nation, sealed a first-ever World Cup by winning Group D ahead of Cameroon, clinching it with a 3-0 home win over Eswatini in October 2025 — at the eighth attempt.
The debutants in numbers
Cape Verde last 12 months · 9 matches| Goals for/game | 1.8 |
| Goals against/game | 1.0 |
| Over 2.5 goals | 44% |
| Both teams score | 44% |
| Corners/game | 4.7 |
| Yellow cards/game | 1.7 |
| Shots on target/game | 4.1 |
Source: ScanGoal database (national-team matches, last 12 months)
Qualifying in numbers — our database
| Matches analysed | 518 |
| Avg goals per game | 2.4 |
| Over 2.5 goals | 42% |
| Both teams score | 39% |
Source: Africa (CAF) qualifiers in the ScanGoal database
CAF group previews: Morocco (C), Senegal (I), Ivory Coast (E), Cape Verde (H), DR Congo (K). Source: FIFA.