Why All Eyes Are On Africa at the World Cup

The opening matches have already upended expectations. Cape Verde, a nation of half a million playing in its first World Cup, held the reigning European champions, Spain, to a scoreless draw in Atlanta. Then, they took a point off Uruguay (another former World Cup Champion). Egypt led Belgium before holding on for a 1-1 draw, then beat New Zealand 3-1. Morocco, a semifinalist four years ago, drew with Brazil while outplaying them for long stretches, then dominated Scotland. And Folarin Balogun, born in New York to Nigerian parents, scored twice in the United States’ opening win, a reminder that African talent shapes this game far beyond the continent’s own teams. None of this is a fluke. It is the latest evidence of something the rest of the world has been slow to price in.

African players are the pride of their nations, often carrying the weight of proving what the continent is capable of. This summer, the stakes are even higher, as they attempt to leverage the World Cup’s platform to inspire audiences and help reshape harmful narratives that have depressed investment and limited development for one of the world’s fastest-growing populations.