Is it Africa’s time to shine?

Despite making their tournament debut as far back as 1934 with a sole representative in Egypt, the African continent has not exactly set the stage alight during World Cup finals, their best showing reaching the quarterfinals three times. Next year, Senega

Senegal World 23 ranking

Senegal’s only prior appearance at a World Cup came in 2002 when they beat holders France in the opening game before going on to reach the quarterfinals, and now a new generation of talent is set to take Russia by storm.

Senegal became only the second African country to progress that far at a World Cup when they reached the quarters in South Korea and Japan but they failed to build on that and missed out at Germany, South Africa and Brazil.

An unbeaten run through a controversy-laden group has earned Senegal their place with what could be another imposing generation of players led by talisman Sadio Mane (above), centreback Kalidou Koulibaly and industrious captain Cheikhou Kouyate.

Senegal now have a coach with World Cup experience as Aliou Cisse captained the team in 2002.

Their 2018 campaign began poorly as they went 2-0 down in Madagascar in the first leg of their preliminary round tie.

However, they rallied to draw the game before going on to comfortably win the return match and progressed to dominate their group in the next round.

The only blemish was a 2-1 loss in South Africa last year which was expunged from the records after Fifa found the referee had manipulated the result.

The replay took place earlier this month and Senegal won to secure their berth in Russia. They finished the campaign six points ahead of second-placed Burkina Faso. – Reuters

Tunisia World 27 ranking

Tunisia were handed a relatively easy passage to their fifth World Cup but they went through the African preliminaries with a proficiency that augurs well for next year’s finals in Russia.

The north African country – whose size and population of nearly 12 million belies a regular seat at African football’s head table – won their group ahead of Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya and Guinea to qualify for the first time since 2006.

Tunisia were the first African country to win a match at a World Cup tournament – beating Mexico 3-1 in Rosario in 1978 – but in 11 games since at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 finals they have failed to emerge victorious.

Tunisia were unbeaten in their qualifying group but the campaign was not without its disruptions.

After winning the first two matches at the end of 2016, Tunisia were uninspiring at the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon in January, after which veteran coach Henryk Kasperczak left.

Nabil Maaloul, fired during the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, returned and two wins and two draws from their last four group games saw Tunisia win their group by a point from the DRC.

Unlike the other African teams in Russia, Tunisia still draw the bulk of their players from the domestic league.

Their best player Youssef Msakni (above) plays in Qatar but could move to a bigger league if the form he showed in the preliminaries is repeated at the finals. – Reuters

Egypt World 31 ranking

Egypt have finally overcome the disappointment of decades of failure to reach the World Cup finals for the first time since 1990.

Qualifying had become an obsessive weight on the team, whose repeated failures in the World Cup came in stark contrast to their record-breaking achievements in the Africa Cup of Nations, which they repeatedly won.

Egypt reached the African playoffs for the last World Cup but a 6-1 hammering in Ghana proved yet another huge setback and when they were paired with the Ghanaians again in qualifying for the 2018 finals, more disappointment was anticipated.

But Ghana started the campaign poorly, including being beaten 2-0 in Alexandria, and Egypt kept their noses in front in the group, even after losing in Uganda and producing unconvincing displays in their last two home matches.

Giddy celebrations followed after qualification was secured with one game to play, with Mohamed Salah (above) tucking away a late penalty to beat Congo 2-1 at home and avoid having to go to Ghana in their last match to try and secure a World Cup place.

Argentine-born coach Hector Cuper has managed a smooth transition from the ageing generation he inherited into a much younger outfit but still relies on the veteran Essam el Hadary in goal.

El Hadary turns 45 in January and if he plays in Russia will set a new record for the tournament’s oldest participant. – Reuters

Morocco World 40 ranking

A peace offering in an Amsterdam coffee shop proved a catalyst for Morocco’s late rally to success in the World Cup qualifiers and their first appearance at the finals in 20 years since 1998 in France.

Coach Herve Renard travelled to the Netherlands in mid-year for a meeting with maverick midfield talent Hakim Ziyech, who had quit the team after Renard left him out of the squad for the Afcon at the start of the year.

Dutch-born Ziyech, 24, returned to the side and scored twice in a 6-0 home win over Mali in September that proved a turning point.

Ziyech is among a bevy of talented midfielders who make the Moroccan side tick along with Mbark Boussoufa (above), also born in the Netherlands, and French-born Younes Belhanda.

Southampton’s Sofiane Boufal, Morocco’s key attacker, spent a year deciding whether to try and make the France team or opt for Morocco before Renard, who coached him at Lille, persuaded him to join the nation’s cause.

The flamboyant French coach signed a new deal on Tuesday as reward for engineering qualification as Morocco came from behind to overtake the Ivory Coast, with whom Renard won the 2015 Afcon.

Morocco took advantage of a stumbling campaign by the Ivorians and, needing a point in their last game in Abidjan, won 2-0 away to Ivory Coast, who would have qualified themselves with a victory, to top Africa’s Group C by four points. – Reuters

Nigeria World 50 ranking

Nigeria are the only one of Africa’s five representatives from the last World Cup who return for the 2018 edition in Russia and will be looking to better their place in the last-16 in Brazil.

A crop of exciting youngsters headline a team who will play at the World Cup for the fifth time.

Kelechi Iheanacho (above), Alex Iwobi, Henry Onyekuru and Moses Simon represent a new generation that has emerged since the 2014 finals as Nigeria surprisingly qualified easily from a tough group that included Algeria, who also reached the second round of the last World Cup, and African champions Cameroon.

Nigeria were the first African country to book a berth in Russia and finished unbeaten in Africa’s Group B, winning all their home games with two draws and a victory away under German coach Gernot Rohr.

The 64-year-old Rohr in recent years was national coach of Burkina Faso, Gabon and Niger.

He will have high hopes that Nigeria can make an impact at the finals, particularly after they beat Argentina 4-2 in a friendly in Russia earlier this month.

Africa’s best return at the World Cup was a quarterfinal place for Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010).

But there will be concern about Nigeria’s dependency on Chelsea’s Victor Moses and John Obi Mikel, now playing in China, with the level of performances over the last year falling dramatically when they were absent. – Reuters