Senegal and Morocco are Africa’s best World Cup hopes – Bloomberg Economics

Senegal and Morocco are Africa’s best bets in the expanded FIFA 2026 World Cup, according to a model developed by Bloomberg Economics.

Using a framework that combines footballing talent, demographics, and institutional and economic capital, Bloomberg Africa economist Yvonne Mhango generated Overperformance Potential Scores that rank Senegal as Africa’s most likely team to exceed expectations at the 2026 World Cup, narrowly ahead of Morocco.

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The tournament kicked off on Thursday when South Africa faced co-hosts Mexico on home soil. Mexico won the match 2-0.

“Senegal and Morocco combine elite football talent with favourable demographics and strong institutional foundations,” she wrote in a report, noting that Ivory Coast came in third thanks to a deep talent pool and a young, growing population.

The model shows that nations most likely to punch above their weight – as Morocco did when it reached the semifinals in 2022 — have built deep pools of players competing in Europe’s top leagues and consistently supply talent to elite clubs.

“At the other end of the table, South Africa and Cape Verde face the steepest challenge,” she said. “Both score well on economic indicators, but weaker football capital and institutional foundations weigh on their prospects.”

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