African Country Bigger Than UK Banned From Competing at 2026 FIFA World Cup
- A total of 48 teams will compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico
- Nine countries from the African continent have already secured their place at the Mundial slated for next summer
- Four teams will head to the play-offs in Morocco ahead of the inter-continental play-offs, but one country remains banned
An African country will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The tournament next year will feature 48 countries, and with nine African teams already qualified, one more will have a chance through the play-offs.
A total of 28 teams have already confirmed their place, with England the only European country to have guaranteed their place so far.
Source: Getty Images
In Africa, Morocco, Cape Verde, Algeria, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Tunisia and South Africa have already picked their ticket.
Four teams will head to the play-offs in Morocco as one more team from the continent still has a chance.
Nigeria will battle Gabon in one of the semi-finals, while Cameroon and DR Congo will slug it out in the other fixture.
The winners of both matches will face off in the final for a chance to represent CAF at the inter-continental play-off.
Western Sahara banned from World Cup
However, Western Sahara is one African territory that will not be competing at the 2026 World Cup.
According to Britannica, the United Nations has defined the region as a non-self-governing territory "whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government."
SPORTbible reports that the Western Sahara is the last colony in Africa, as Spain had ruled the territory until 1976, when it attempted to transfer administration to Morocco and Mauritania.
About 70 per cent of it is occupied by Morocco, while the Polisario Front, which is a nationalist movement from Morocco, controls the remaining 30 per cent.
The report added:
"Western Sahara covers a huge stretch of North-West Africa, with a total area of 272,000 km2, compared to the UK at 244,376 km2.
"But it is far more sparsely populated, with a population of approximately 560,000, while the UK is home to an estimated 69 million people."
Meanwhile, they have their own football team, which is managed by the Sahrawi Football Federation.
However, the federation is not a member of FIFA or CAF, so their team cannot compete in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers or even the tournament proper.
They are members of the World Unity Football Allegiance, which is an international body for football teams not affiliated with FIFA.
WUFA only has 19 members, including the Chagos Islands, Yorkshire and Kashmir.
Source: Getty Images
Drogba sends message to Nigerians
Legit.ng earlier reported that Ivorian football legend Didier Drogba sent a message to Nigerian football fans as the Super Eagles prepare for the World Cup play-offs.
The former Chelsea striker is rooting for the three-time African champions to pick a ticket to the Mundial after South Africa won the CAF qualification Group C.
Source: Legit.ng
