Analysing the African contingent at the 2022 World Cup

With the World Cup now less than a month away, excitement is starting to build ahead of this unprecedented winter edition of the famous tournament. With the club season in full flow before breaking a week before the World Cup begins, there is still a long way to go in footballing terms before Qatar kick things off against Ecuador on November 20th, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start to look forward to one of the world’s biggest sporting occasions.

One of the themes in Russia four years ago was the underperformance of the African nations. Of the five teams competing from Africa, not one of them could make it to the knockout stages. Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia and Senegal all failed to reach the last 16, meaning that for the first time since 1982, there was no African representation in the knockout rounds of a World Cup finals.

This year, five teams will be hoping to make up for that failure in Russia — Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia. Let’s take a look at all five teams and analyse whether they have what it takes to go far in Qatar.

Cameroon
Having missed out on qualification for Russia 2018, Cameroon will be keen to make up for lost time. They have landed in a pretty tough group however, with Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia all standing in their way. Captain Vincent Aboubakar will be the man tasked with providing the firepower up front, and his form will be crucial if Cameroon are to qualify for the knockout rounds for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals at Italia ‘90.

Ghana
Ghana had been one of the better performing African nations at the World Cup in recent years, but missing out on the 2018 finals represented a bump in the road for the ‘Black Stars’. Now Ghana are back in the big time, hoping to channel the spirit of the 2010 team, who were an Asamoah Gyan penalty away from reaching the semi-finals in South Africa.

Morocco
A lot was expected of Morocco ahead of the 2018 World Cup, but ultimately, they failed to produce the form we know they are capable of. With some star players like Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi at their disposal, there’s every reason to believe that Morocco can do themselves justice this time around.
They’ve been drawn in a group with Belgium, Canada and Croatia, and it’ll be a tough challenge to topple the two European teams. Stranger things have happened at World Cup finals, so don’t be surprised if those who bet on World Cup matches fancy Morocco’s chances.

Senegal
Out of all the teams who failed to qualify from the group stage in Russia four years ago, Senegal were the ones who gave the best account of themselves. Having beaten Poland in their opening match, they looked good value for a place in the last 16, but a draw with Japan and defeat to Colombia cost them in the end. It’s been a good year for Senegalese football, with the team having triumphed in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, and they’ll be hoping to carry that form into the World Cup.

Tunisia
In their four previous World Cup appearances, Tunisia have failed to reach the knockout rounds on every occasion, and there is little to suggest that this time will be any different. Drawn with France, Australia and Denmark, Tunisia will struggle to accrue the points needed to progress, but with four wins in qualifying, they certainly have the potential to surprise a few.