Hugh Dallas (Scotland). During the 2014 edition, Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan became Africa's all-time leading topscorer at the FIFA World Cup, having scored 6 goals in 3 World Cups, thus exceeding Cameroon veteran Roger Milla's 5 goals. Ethiopia entered through the UEFA qualification process, where it was eliminated by Israel, while the rest entered through the CAF qualification process. The team ranking in each tournament is according to FIFA. Fourth official: Rafael Ilyasov (Uzbekistan)[9] However, they went down 0–1, and because Japan lost 0–1 as well, Senegal bowed out due to the fair play tiebreaker. They were 1–0 down to Mexico at half-time when their Tunisian coach Abdelmajid Chetali told them that they treated their opponents with too much respect and that they could still win the game if they tackled hard and imposed their belief and self-confidence. Morocco beat Libya 3–1 on aggregate and also qualified for their second World Cup. 24 African countries entered the qualification process for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, with the Leopards of Zaire eventually qualifying quite comfortably, scoring 18 goals and conceding 5 in the ten matches they played to qualify. Egypt was the only African country to apply to compete at the 1954 World Cup. However, the plane carrying the Zambian team crashed en route on 28 April 1993. Curtis Charles (Antigua and Barbuda) [2][3][4], Head coach: Philippe Troussier Igor Šramka (Slovakia) In Group A, Morocco drew their first match 2–2 with Norway and then lost 0–3 to Brazil. The last two matches in the group were played simultaneously (as they had after the Disgrace of Gijón in 1982) – with ten minutes left, Morocco were leading Scotland 2–0 while Brazil led Norway 1–0. We did that for a while, got ourselves back into the game, but in the end we had to force the game and gave away a couple of tries. The 1995 World Cup final, the image of the country's first black president Mandela awarding the trophy to Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks, a team that had been a symbolism of white South Africa for so long, remains one of the most talked about moments in the country's sporting history. "We are really grateful to have our families here and all I want to do is to inspire my kids and every other kid in South Africa. ", South Africa upsets England in Rugby World Cup final, South Africa captain Siya Kolisi on Japan and Roger Federer, Rassie Erasmus: Kolisi reaction 'overwhelming', Age just a number to rugby playing pensioners, Roger Federer talks Olympics and Rugby World Cup, Rugby World Cup: Memorable moments from Japan, England-New Zealand to face each other in RWC semifinal, Pieter Labuschagne on Japan's surprising RWC success, Meet the Rugby World Cup's body-painting superfan, Sam Warbuton: Wales aiming for World Cup final, Rugby superfans cycle from London to Tokyo, Rugby players advised to cover tattoos in Japan, Rugby World Cup: Kamaishi's road to recovery. Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa), Assistant referees: Frankly we'd lost our morale. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa (centre R) and Kolisi (centre L) lift the trophy. I'm hoping that we have just given people a bit of hope to pull together as a country to make it better.". READ: Little guys play big part at Rugby World Cup, READ: Meet the Gwijo squad: The musical fan group confronting apartheid's legacy, READ: Siya Kolisi -- shock defeat by Japan 'has been with us for four years', READ: Kolisi: 'There's no way I would have dreamed of being Springbok captain'. This performance was widely deplored by all observers. However a 2–3 loss to Spain then sent South Africa home. Mauritania are not participating in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. France were eliminated from the World Cup with a single point in the Group stage. Tipped by many as favorite for the final, England appeared sluggish from the start. "It is really special and it was more than just a game for us," Kolisi told ITV after the game. FIFA did change the rules – in future World Cups, the final two games in each group are played simultaneously. Matthias Arnet (Switzerland)[9] Having qualified for the next stage, they then lost 1–3 to Paraguay. [7] In the final minutes of the match, Katlego Mphela almost scored a winning goal for South Africa, but his shot bounced off the post. Merere Gonzales (Trinidad and Tobago) 38 African countries entered the qualification process for 5 spots at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the two new spots resulting from the tournament's expansion from 24 to 32 teams. Although South Africa has made three appearances in the World Cup, they have not made it past the first round. Thus the debutants ensured an African representative in the Round of 16 for the sixth successive World Cup. Mohamed Guezzaz (Morocco), South Africa vs Mexico was the opening match of the World Cup, held on 11 June 2010. Korea/Japan 2002 was expected to be an opportunity for Bafana Bafana to step up to the next level but they were eliminated at the group stage despite drawing to Paraguay and beating Slovenia 1–0 for their first-ever World Cup win. The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. Still, Senegal's surprise run made it the fifth successive time an African nation had made it to the Round of 16, and the second time an African country had reached the quarter finals. Association football is the most popular sport in nearly every African country, and 13 members of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have competed at the sport's biggest event – the men's FIFA World Cup. A third defeat in four World Cup appearances but this loss, and the team's performance will rankle for some time. while angry Algerian supporters waved banknotes at the players to suggest that the game was fixed. During the final match, Cameroon's Rigobert Song became the first man to pick up red cards at two World Cups – he was sent off as a 17-year-old against Brazil in 1994. As nothing could be proved and the two teams had technically broken no rules, FIFA allowed the result to stand. [54] Had Ghana won their quarter final they would have become the very first African nation to progress to the semifinals of the world cup. Katlego Mphela (South Africa), Assistant referees: Kolisi, who grew up in the township of Zwide, just outside Port Elizabeth, was just 16 when South Africa won the 2007 Rugby World Cup final. "A lot of us in South Africa just need an opportunity and there are so many untold stories. He too, like Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki before him, will know only too well of rugby's ability to bring hope to those who seek it. They then managed to draw 1–1 with Romania, who had won their first two matches and topped the group. Cameroon were undoubtedly the surprise package of the tournament. However, only 28 played all their matches after FIFA rejected Libya (due to UN sanctions) and 11 other nations withdrew at various stages. The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil marked the first time more than one African team went beyond the group stages. So 29 African countries competed for 2 spots in World Cup qualification. Both Les Fennecs (The Desert Foxes) of Algeria and Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions) of Cameroon won 2–0 away and 2–1 at home and qualified for the World Cup for the first time. In the quarter-finals, they were eliminated by Uruguay. This was the first World Cup with 24 teams, and Africa's representation was doubled. The World Cup Finals is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final. I never dreamed of a day like this at all. In Group E, Ghana began with up a 0–2 loss to eventual winners Italy with a 2–0 win over the Czech Republic and a 2–1 win over the U.S.. [6] It was described as an "enthralling" and "pulsating" match. Stephen Keshi's team went down 3–2 to later finalists Argentina in their final match, leaving them on the brink of elimination, but Iran lost to the Bosnians 3–1 and Nigeria went through to the Round of 16 for the third time in history, after 1998 and 1994. As with 1982, 29 African countries entered the qualification process for two spots at the World Cup. The Springboks No.10 kicked four first-half penalties and another two after the break. This is a record of South Africa's results at the FIFA World Cup. They were placed in a two-team group with Italy, but lost 1–2 in Cairo and 1–5 in Milan, and thus did not qualify for the World Cup. Egypt was the only African country to apply to compete at the 1938 FIFA World Cup, but withdrew before playing any matches. "[31], The next opponents Yugoslavia had noted holes in the Zairean defence, and fully exploited them to hammer Zaire 9–0 in a then record win for World Cup finals, with all but three of their outfield players getting on the scoresheet. On Saturday it climbed back to the top of the world. "Since I have been alive I have never seen South Africa like this," Kolisi said. Seven African countries entered the qualification process for the 1962 FIFA World Cup : Ghana, United Arab Republic (a joint football association by Egypt and Syria, who were politically united between 1958 and 1961), Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, Sudan and Tunisia. No African teams entered. Despite a 3–0 drubbing to France in their opening game, they went on to draw against Denmark and Saudi Arabia, the team finished third and thus exited the tournament. Bakhadyr Kochkarov (Kyrgyzstan)[9] ", "FIFA match report: Germany FR vs Austria, 1982 World Cup", "FIFA match report: Morocco vs Germany FR, 1986 World Cup", "FIFA match report: Germany FR vs Algeria, 1982 World Cup", http://www.echoroukonline.com/eng/index.php?news=7847, http://www.africansoccerunion.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=103603:okwaraji-comes-alive-in-abuja, "Interview with Match-Fixing Investigator Declan Hill: 'I Am Sure the Game Was Manipulated, https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=39/results/matches/match=2176/report.html, FIFA Fact Sheet: History of the FIFA World Cup (TM) Preliminary Competition (by year), SportsBeefTV: YouTube channel for discussing Africa and World sports with a little humor, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=African_nations_at_the_FIFA_World_Cup&oldid=968317637, Articles with dead external links from May 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, QF — Quarterfinals (1934–1938, 1954–1970, and 1986–present: knockout round of 8), R2 — Round 2 (1974–1978, second group stage, top 8; 1982: second group stage, top 12; 1986–present: knockout round of 16), Quarterfinals = knockout round of 8: 1934–1938, 1954–1970, and 1986–present; second group stage, top 8: 1974–1978, 2nd Round = second group stage, top 12: 1982; knockout round of 16: 1986–present, This page was last edited on 18 July 2020, at 16:34. In the second half, the South Americans – for whom a win would have them progress at Senegal's expense – scored twice, and then a third time with an 88th-minute penalty kick. Thus Tunisia's second appearance at the World Cup (after 1978) ended in them scoring only one goal, a penalty. Dominant in the scrum and at the breakdown, the Springboks did what it always seems to do in a World Cup final. Today we join over 57 million South Africans in congratulating our team, the Springboks for their victory over England in Japan. The Palancas Negras (Black Antelopes) of Angola, having beaten Nigeria 2–1 on aggregate, qualified for the World Cup. Cheslin Kolbe's try, eight minutes later, added further gloss to the scoreline and underlined South Africa's dominance. The inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup was the only one without any qualification process. In Group A, after beating France 1–0 with a goal from Papa Bouba Diop, they drew 1–1 with eventual group winners Denmark. Africa's pride, however, was saved by both Nigeria and Algeria. The first two matches were drawn, thanks in large part to the excellent Rhodesian goalkeeper Robin Jordan,[28] and the desperate Australians hired a Mozambican sangoma to 'curse' him. The extra spot was awarded after the strong performances of Cameroon and Egypt at Italia 90.