Anapolina Overview

Former South Africa coach Philippe Troussier has made a bold claim regarding the potential of African football, suggesting that the continent is finally ready to reach the summit of the global game. As the ongoing global showpiece reaches its business end, the Frenchman believes the gap between Africa and the traditional powerhouses has narrowed significantly.

Four nations made debuts at the 2026 World Cup, with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan gracing the grandest stage in international football for the first time. It is the tournament with the most newcomers since 2006 and Cape Verde have achieved the feat of ending a 16-year wait for a debutant to reach the knockout stages, with the African nation to face Lionel Messi's Argentina on Friday.

The group stages of the 2026 World Cup are in the books after a thrilling fortnight of action across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Despite a lack of eye-catching fixtures on paper in the new, expanded format, there has been drama aplenty, with all the big names showing up for their respective countries on football's biggest stage.

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has admitted that captain Alphonso Davies was never truly ready to play in the crucial 2-1 World Cup defeat to Switzerland, revealing he used the superstar as a "decoy" to disrupt the opposition's preparations. Despite the pre-match comments, the Bayern Munich man remained an unused substitute as the Canucks fell to second place in Group B.