Following an eventful start to the FIFA World Cup 2026 that has already produced memorable results for African teams; With Morocco holding Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire defeating Ecuador, Cape Verde earning a historic draw against Spain and Egypt securing a valuable point against Belgium, Africa had already demonstrated its competitiveness on the global stage. Tunisia had earlier suffered a 5-1 defeat to Sweden, and hopes were high that Senegal and Algeria could restore momentum against France and Argentina respectively.

Senegal, Africa’s reigning champions, fell 3-1 to France in a fiercely contested Group clash at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday night. While the scoreline suggests a comfortable French victory, the match was far more competitive than the final result indicates.

The Lions of Teranga started brightly and looked the more threatening side during large spells of the first half. Ismaïla Sarr tested the French defence early, while Nicolas Jackson came agonizingly close to opening the scoring midway through the half when his effort struck the post before bouncing away to safety.

Senegal’s aggressive pressing and compact defensive shape frustrated France for much of the opening period. Sadio Mané and Idrissa Gana Gueye played key roles in winning the midfield battle, limiting clear-cut opportunities for the two-time world champions as both sides went into the halftime break locked at 0-0.

However, France’s quality eventually told after the break. Goalkeeper Édouard Mendy produced several outstanding saves to deny Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé, but the resistance was finally broken in the 65th minute when Mbappé finished clinically after being released by Olise.

Substitute Bradley Barcola doubled France’s advantage 17 minutes later before Senegal thought they had found a lifeline through Nicolas Jackson, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Mbaye pulled one back deep into stoppage time to give Senegal hope, but Mbappé immediately responded with a stunning long-range strike to seal a 3-1 victory for the French.

A few hours later, Algeria faced an equally difficult challenge against world champions Argentina and suffered a 3-0 defeat despite producing an energetic display at Kansas City Stadium.

The encounter began at a frenetic pace, with both teams showing attacking intent from the opening whistle. Argentina thought they had taken an early lead through Lionel Messi after six minutes, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Algeria also had a goal disallowed shortly afterwards as both sides searched for an early breakthrough.

Despite Argentina controlling possession, Algeria remained organized and continued to press high up the pitch. The North Africans created several promising moments and looked capable of troubling the world champions, but Messi eventually broke the deadlock in the 17th minute with a spectacular strike.

The Desert Foxes refused to retreat and continued to compete throughout the first half. Argentina pushed for a second goal but were repeatedly frustrated, while Algeria came close to finding an equaliser and forced goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez into an excellent save shortly before halftime.

However, Argentina’s quality eventually proved decisive. Messi capitalised on a loose ball in the 60th minute to double the lead before completing a historic hat-trick 16 minutes later. The treble saw the Argentine captain become the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick while also moving level with Miroslav Klose atop the tournament’s all-time scoring charts

Despite the defeats, both Senegal and Algeria showed enough quality and determination to remain hopeful of bouncing back in their remaining group matches. Africa’s representatives have already demonstrated they can compete against some of the world’s strongest nations, and the tournament is still very much alive for both sides.

The last Africans side take in stage tonight, first match at 8pm ,Leopards’ DR Congo takes on Portugal as Ghana squares it out with Panama at 2am..