African teams near sweep of knockout places as Messi breaks World Cup record

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8 days · 11 summary articles
The group stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded on Saturday, 27 June, setting the stage for a knockout round featuring historic African triumphs and Lionel Messi’s record-breaking campaign as Argentina secured top spot in Group L with a 2-0 victory over Panama on Saturday night in East Rutherford, New Jersey .
England finished first in Group L after beating Panama 2-0, with Harry Kane extending his England scoring record and becoming the tournament’s joint-top scorer alongside Messi after netting his third goal of the competition . Croatia claimed second place in the group with a 2-1 win over Ghana, thanks to goals from Nikola Vlasic and Petar Sučić .
Africa made World Cup history as nine of the continent’s ten representatives advanced to the Round of 32, with Cape Verde, South Africa, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Senegal, Ghana, Algeria and DR Congo all progressing . The Democratic Republic of Congo reached the knockout stages for the first time, while Cape Verde emerged as the tournament’s surprise package, capturing global attention with their resilient performances .
Messi, who scored his sixth goal of the tournament against Panama, extended his own World Cup goalscoring record and kept Argentina on course for a deep run . His record sixth goal came in a 2-0 win that sealed Argentina’s top spot in Group L, setting up a potential Round of 16 clash with Nigeria, who finished second in Group F .
The Round of 32 begins on Sunday in Los Angeles, where co-hosts Canada will face South Africa in the first knockout match of the tournament, a rematch of their 2-1 group-stage victory in Vancouver . England, meanwhile, will face DR Congo in a high-profile last-16 tie, while Portugal will take on Croatia in a repeat of the 2018 quarter-final .
The expanded format has delivered unprecedented continental representation, with Africa’s near-total advance silencing critics who questioned whether the enlarged tournament would dilute quality . Nine African teams out of ten reached the knockout stages, a feat that has reshaped perceptions of the continent’s footballing strength .
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