Tottenham Hotspur Academy Descripción general

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.

The knockout stages are upon us. We’ve got three Ivory Coast vs Norway predictions for their World Cup Round of 32 clash on Tuesday, 30 June.

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.