Even for a player who remains the only man to have three World Cup winners’ medals it was a bold prediction. “An African nation will win the World Cup before the year 2000,” declared Pelé – who had been persuaded to come out of retirement to play for New York Cosmos by Henry Kissinger three years earlier – on the eve of his final match in October 1977.
Nearly five decades have passed since then and while there has undoubtedly been progress on the global stage, an African team has yet to smash through the ceiling of the quarter-finals. Morocco, led by the wily tactician Walid Regragui, will become the latest to attempt to go where Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and – most heartbreakingly – Ghana in 2010 failed and reach the last four when they face Portugal on Saturday.
The presence of all four of Africa’s most successful nations at a World Cup may have been partly coincidental, although seasoned observers would point out that these countries have put in place a framework for sustained success on the international stage. Including Tunisia, seven wins from 15 matches during the group stages was the continent’s best return. The Carthage Eagles recorded an historic win against France and Cameroon became the first African team to defeat Brazil, five times the winners, at the World Cup.
It is fitting the Atlas Lions will be the next to try their luck in reaching the semi-finals given Morocco became the first to pick up a point, at the 1970 World Cup. No African team had participated at a finals since Egypt 36 years earlier but Blagoje Vidinic’s side took the lead against West Germany in their opening match in Mexico before losing 2-1 and went to secure a 1-1 draw against Bulgaria thanks to a goal from Maouhoub Ghazouani.
The midfielder was offered moves to Marseille and Málaga on the back of his exploits in Mexico but was not allowed to leave because he played for the military club AS FAR.
While Zaire – sub-Saharan Africa’s first representatives – were humbled 9-0 by Yugoslavia at the next World Cup, it looked as if Pelé might have been on to something when Tunisia became the first African side to record a victory at the tournament in 1978 with a 3-1 win over Mexico.
Four years later, Algeria shocked the world by defeating West Germany in their opening match despite another bold prediction from one opposition player beforehand. “We will dedicate our seventh goal to our wives and the eighth to our dogs,” he said. Algeria failed to progress from the group, however, after West Germany beat Austria 1-0, a result that meant that both countries went through, in a game that became known as the Disgrace of Gijón.
Cameroon – making the first of their record eight appearances at a finals and featuring a 30-year-old Roger Milla – also made an impact by returning home from Spain undefeated after three draws. Despite having what he has always argued was a legitimate goal disallowed for offside against Peru that would have sent them through, Milla would be back eight years later in Italy to score two goals in extra time against Colombia and take Cameroon into the quarter-finals to face England.
Morocco had been within three minutes of matching that at Mexico 86 after finishing top of their group, ahead of England – a historic milestone that heralded a new dawn for African football. “At the time I was living in the French suburbs and when Morocco beat Portugal it was the happiest I’d ever been in my life,” Regragui said.
But after Gary Lineker broke Cameroon’s hearts at Italia 90 and despite Nigeria claiming Africa’s first gold medal in men’s football at the 1996 Olympics, it would be another 12 years until an African side cracked the last eight again.
Senegal’s triumph thanks to Henri Camara’s golden goal in extra time in the second round against Sweden – having already seen off the reigning champions, France – meant most people expected them to defeat Turkey in the quarter-finals. But substitute Ilhan Mansiz scored another golden goal in the fourth minute of extra time – the last before the rule was scrapped by Fifa – after a drab 90 minutes to deny them a place in the last four.
It was Ghana’s turn eight years later at the first World Cup on African soil, as South Africa made unwanted history by becoming the first hosts to go out in the group stages, despite beating France in their final match.
Ghana had the whole continent behind them then. Had it not been for Luis Suárez’s infamous handball to deny Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header and Asamoah Gyan’s subsequent penalty miss at Soccer City in Johannesburg then the Black Stars would have played the Netherlands in the semi-finals.
And so to Qatar. Morocco’s players will carry not only the hopes and dreams of Africa when they face Portugal but of the Arab world as well. Having seen his father’s dream of his country becoming the first in Africa to host the World Cup ended after three failed bids, the king of Morocco, Mohammed VI – who congratulated Regragui on the phone after the victory against Spain – had a bid for the 2026 tournament rejected. But a huge investment in the country’s football infrastructure, including the impressive Mohammed VI training complex in Maâmora that cost $65m to build, is clearly yielding results.
“We are trying to be a powerhouse in Africa,” said Regragui. “The continent is moving forward, Morocco has made a lot of effort. I arrived in 2013 and since then I have seen the stadiums evolve, the federation has made enormous efforts, his majesty has invested a lot of resources. Now, we must not fall asleep, we must continue.”
