SPORT - The African Mirror

Jun

30

2026

Atlas Lions Roar, Albirroja Ambush: Africa toasts as Europe’s giants crumble on penalties

FOOTBALL

THERE are nights in football when the script tears itself up, sets fire to the bin, and dances on the ashes. Monday was one of those nights. Two of European football's grandest old houses - the Netherlands, serial World Cup nearly-men, and Germany, four-time champions and self-appointed custodians of penalty-shootout science - were both shown the exit door within hours of each other, and the doormen wore the unmistakable colours of Morocco and Paraguay. By the time the dust settled over Monterrey and Foxborough, Massachusetts, the 2026 FIFA World Cup had delivered its first true earthquake, and Africa was left…

Jun

28

2026

By The African Mirror

Eustáquio’s stoppage-time heist mugs Bafana – But leave World Cup with heads held high

FOOTBALL

FOR 91 minutes and 59 seconds, Bafana Bafana did the unthinkable and made it look almost ordinary. Then Stephen Eustáquio remembered he was Portuguese-trained, Canadian-capped, and entirely without mercy, and ruined everybody's evening with one perfectly struck football. It arrived in the 92nd minute, the cruellest postcode in the sport. A loose, bouncing clearance fell into space at the top of the box, and the Toronto FC metronome met it first-time, low and true, past a despairing Ronwen Williams and into the bottom corner. Los Angeles Stadium erupted in maple-leaf delirium. Fourteen thousand kilometres away, South Africa exhaled the long,…

Jun

29

2026

By SPORTS CORRESPONDENTS

Nine and rising: Africa shatters World Cup history

FOOTBALL

FOR nearly a century, Africa’s World Cup story has been told in flashes rather than chapters - Cameroon’s swagger in Italy in 1990, Senegal’s fairy tale in 2002, Ghana’s heartbreak six inches from a semi-final in 2010. Brilliant moments, almost always isolated, almost always alone. That story changed shape entirely this weekend. Nine of the continent’s ten representatives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup — Morocco, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Algeria, DR Congo and Cape Verde — have powered into the Round of 32, obliterating the old African record of just two teams reaching the knockout stage…

Jun

25

2026

By The African Mirror

Bafana crash the party, Atlas Lions survive a fright: Africa’s World Cup quest hits top gear

FOOTBALL

FORGET the script. Africa was supposed to arrive at this World Cup, applaud politely from the group-stage cheap seats, and go home in time for the round of 16 - as usual. Instead, the continent has spent the past week treating the tournament like a Sunday taxi rank: loud, chaotic, occasionally terrifying, and somehow always arriving at the destination. Five teams are still chasing knockout football. One has already made history. And at least one goalkeeper has personally apologised to his own net. Bafana Bafana: 32 Years in the Making, One Left Foot to Finish It Let's start where the…

Jun

23

2026

By The African Mirror

Africa’s 2026 FIFA World Cup mix: Egypt rise, Algeria rally, Senegal stumble

FOOTBALL

AFRICA’s 2026 FIFA World Cup story is already serving up the full buffet: joy, nerve, and the sort of defensive chaos that makes coaches age in dog years. Egypt are strutting like a team that has found the remote control to the group, Algeria have finally stopped flirting with danger and put three points in the bag, while Senegal are still fighting the group with one hand tied behind their backs. Senegal: brave, then bruised Senegal’s night had all the ingredients of a comeback classic - a strong response, a brace from Ismaila Sarr, and enough late drama to make…

Jun

22

2026

By The African Mirror

Pharaohs rule, Sharks bite back, Elephants mugged in Toronto: Africa’s gloriously unhinged World Cup

FOOTBALL

SEVEN World Cup finals. Seventeen matches. Zero wins. That was Egypt’s grim ledger heading into this tournament, a statistic embarrassing enough to deserve its own laugh track. Then New Zealand turned up in Vancouver, took an early lead through Finn Surman’s header, and discovered precisely why one does not wake a sleeping Pharaoh. Mostafa Ziko levelled, Mohamed Salah - still doing this at an age when most wingers have swapped studs for slippers - cut inside and finished with the icy calm of a man who has scored against better defences on a wet Tuesday in Liverpool, and substitute Trezeguet…

Jun

20

2026

By The African Mirror

Ten Lions, One Mountain: Africa’s World Cup reckoning reaches its defining week

FOOTBALL

AFRICA arrived in North America with its largest ever delegation, ten proud flags among the forty-eight, and a continent's worth of expectation strapped to their backs. A week and a half into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, that expectation has produced fireworks and frustration in equal measure, a Moroccan masterclass, a Cabo Verdean fairytale, and a Bafana Bafana cliff-edge that will be resolved only in Monterrey. This is the story, so far, of Africa's mountain to climb. Matchday one has given way to matchday two across the twelve groups, and the picture for the continent is one of contrasts rather…

Jun

19

2026

By SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Where champions and dreams wear the same kit

SPORT

THE streets of Soweto have always known how to speak to the soul of a nation. Fifty years on from the youth who changed history in 1976, another generation took to those same streets on Youth Day 2026 - not in protest, but in celebration, and not alone. At the Nike Shapa Centre, a venue that has come to symbolise the beat of township sport, more than 300 young people gathered in a collision of colour, noise, laughter and sweat. Athletes with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities laced up alongside football legends, corporate volunteers and government officials, united by…

Jun

19

2026

By SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Africa’s World Cup charge: Ghana and Ivory Coast win as Cape Verde, Morocco and DR Congo hold giants, while South Africa, Tunisia and Algeria stumble

FOOTBALL

AFRICAN football has made an early, forceful statement at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Ghana and Ivory Coast delivering the headline victories while Cape Verde, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo showed resilience through hard-earned draws. At the same time, South Africa, Tunisia and Algeria suffered defeats that exposed the gap African teams still must close against elite opposition, even in a tournament that has already produced several breakthrough moments for the continent. Ghana’s 1-0 win over Panama was the kind of result that can reshape a campaign: tight, disciplined and decided late, it showed a team willing…

Jun

19

2026

By JIM WORMINGTON

Soccer fan and angry at FIFA?

FOOTBALL

Many soccer fans, me included, have mixed feelings about the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which began June 11 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The world’s biggest sporting event is happening alongside a brutal immigration crackdown and assault on human rights by the administration of President Donald Trump. FIFA President Gianni Infantino, rather than challenging the US government’s abusive policies, awarded Trump the concocted FIFA Peace Prize, citing his “unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity throughout the world.” But soccer fans shouldn’t let the Trump administration’s abuses and FIFA’s disregard ruin our World Cup. We can still cheer on our teams while fighting for justice…