World Cup 2018: Africa suffers worst tournament since 1982

Last updated on 28 June 2018.From the section World Cup59

African football has suffered a "big step back" after Senegal's exit sealed the continent's worst World Cup showing for 36 years, says Didier Drogba.

Senegal became the first team in World Cup history to go out on the fair play rule after losing to Colombia.

Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia had already fallen at the group stage.

"Africa is going to be successful one day but we need to think again how we approach these big competitions," said former Ivory Coast striker Drogba.

No team from Africa has advanced beyond the quarter-finals at a World Cup.

When will an African team win the World Cup?

However, since 1982 - when Algeria and Cameroon went out at the group stage - at least one country from the continent has made it to the knockout stage. Until now.

In Russia, African teams have managed just three wins and lost 10 in 15 attempts.

"It's a big step back," added Drogba, who scored 65 times in 104 appearances for Ivory Coast, on Match of the Day.

"I also think it is a chance for all the African teams and for the African Confederation maybe to reconsider the strategy and how we want to go forward.

"What do we want to do in the next World Cup? We have the potential, we have the money to develop, but we need more than that.

"We need to have the consistency and the structure of the European teams and the South American teams.

"We are going to be successful one day but we need to think again how we approach these big competitions."

Egypt lost all three Group A games in Russia, while Morocco managed just one point - against Spain - in Group B.

Tunisia lost their opening two Group G matches before beating Panama when both sides had already been eliminated and, although Nigeria beat Iceland, they have also exited the tournament after finishing third in Group D.

Senegal, making their first appearance at the World Cup since reaching the quarter-finalists in 2002, had taken four points from their first two Group H games after beating Poland and drawing with Japan.

The Teranga Lions would have progressed with a draw against Colombia, and defender Kalidou Koulibaly said on the eve of the match in Samara that the "whole of Africa" was behind Senegal.

However, Yerry Mina's second-half header sent Colombia through.

'We didn't deserve to qualify'

"We have not qualified because we did not deserve to qualify," said Senegal boss Aliou Cisse, the former Birmingham City and Portsmouth player.

"Fair play points are one of the rules and these rules have been established in the tournament regulations. We have to respect that.

"We would have preferred to be eliminated in another way but that's the way it works and we knew that those were the regulations.

"I'm just disappointed for my team, for this generation and for these players who fight every single day for our country."

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59 comments

Why is there an obsession with what African teams do at the World Cup? It's a continent just like any other continent.
Nigeria, Senegal and Morocco played quite well and none of them had luck.
I do not agree that African football has regressed. It is roughly at the same stage that it has been at for thirty years. The teams compete well without being any threat in terms of winning the competition.
Morocco showed what they were capable of against Spain and arguably were unlucky not to win that match, regardless of the fact that Spain have a relatively poor team by their standards. Nigeria and Senegal both played well in 2 out of 3 of their matches and if either of them had the kind of good fortune that Argentina had then they would have qualified. I don't think African football has declined.
@17

I agree, why is the BBC obsessed with African football? They're not the only continent to not have a World Cup winner, so will we see pieces on the state of Asian and CONCACAF football?
@7 the World Cup will have 48 teams soon and so we will get even more african teams in the group stages. Madagascar vs Uzbekistan should be a classic
It seems to me that in the past Africa was producing far greater footballers than it has at the moment. Drogba himself, Samuel Eto'o, Michael Essien, Jay Jay Okocha, George Weah, Tony Yeboah, Finidi George, Abedi Pele, Kalusha Bwalya, Doctor Khumalo, Roger Milla....many greats

Now there's Salah, but not many others. The Nigeria team of 1994 for example, was far more talented than 2018's vintage
In all honesty, I think that Africa deserves what she got from this world cup. The only people I have sympathy for are the players abd the coaching staff who gave their best. The FAs in Africa stink with corruption at every level. Until this corruption is decisively eliminated, I believe that the worse is yet to come. Sad really.
@10 GMFC

PC

Why do we have to have positive discrimination and it seen as a disaster and step backwards for football if the Africans who still play for their own african national teams don't qualify for knockout stages?

The best world cups I can remember didn't have too many African teams in knockout stages. If all African teams got through and no European teams I guess that would be gr8
I know it will infuriate some people but the time has surely now come for Africa to lose a place in 2022...or at the very least 4 direct qualifiers and 1 entering a play off.
Asia and Concacaf have a better record but have 4 and 3 qualifiers respectively. I know Africa were given 5 due to Blatter and his legacy but he;s gone now
If only Senegal would have shown a bit more more desire in the third game, they would have progressed. They looked off colour and lethargic and only got into action when Colombia scored.
I don't get BBC/ITV infatuation for African Football (e.g. BBC cant go 5 mins without mentioning Salah - buts that's down to the Liverpool bias more than anything I guess). Take Asia as a comparable example - the treatment of (eg) Japan doesn't really tally.

In South Africa WC, when SA scored, ITV commentator: "a goal for all of Africa". What? Would (eg) Germany be "all of Europe"? Patronising.
@25 Italy and Holland would have graced nothing - they were both dreadful, which is why they didn't qualify. A team should be at the finals based on current form, not past reputation.
40. Salah and Mane wouldn't make an England team? You are joking.
African countries still lacking the nous for tournaments.

There are a few good individuals but not solid teams.

Why?

Poor domestic leagues? Africa Cup of Nations too often (every two years)?
CAF?
43 johnwendy obviously you must live at home where your parents buy the compulsory tv licence which without it wouldn't generate an income for the bbc to broadcast
They lack organisation in there play all of the teams from Africa. By times very talented but talent can only take u so far.

Blow too hot and cold in my opinion
@10. He may well be, but he's right about the quota of African teams allowed to qualify. I'd argue in the 80s and 90s African football had more depth than it does now. The North African teams were strong, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon had great teams over those decades, into the 00s and Ghana and Ivory Coast had strong sides. I just don't see the depth in African football any more, it's not there.
57. I don't think there is any lack of humility in either Drogba's or Cisse's comments. Quite the contrary, blaming nobody but themselves.
Maybe in factual terms and with many of the players experienced in the Premiership with probably more arriving over the summer it does seem an underachievement but most of the African teams got tough draws in the groups and Senegal and Nigeria only just missed out plus the North African teams had their moments. I do not agree it's a step back in Russia just the way very slow progress is developing
The least of Africa's worries right now is football. There has to be some semblance of unity in a country for them to make progress in any field. Citing Nigeria as an example, those players know how bad the situation was in their country. Imagine 200 Nigerians massacred 48 hours before their last match. Reactions of Nigerians to their defeat against Argentina said it all.