Senegal Sneak into World Cup Round of 32 as Seven African Sides Qualify and There Could Be More

Senegal has advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup, clinching their spot after a commanding 5-0 victory against Iraq on Friday.

The decisive win, combined with favourable results from other group matches, was enough to see the Teranga Lions through despite losing their first two games.

The onslaught began just four minutes into the match when Abdoulaye Seck headed a corner towards goal, and Habib Diarra applied the finishing touch to give Senegal an early lead.

Iraq's situation worsened shortly after conceding. Defender Rebin Sulaka was sent off for denying Sadio Mane a clear goalscoring opportunity, reducing his team to ten men for the remainder of the game.

Senegal doubled their advantage ten minutes into the second half, capitalizing on a defensive error. A mistake from Zidane Iqbal deep in his own territory allowed Lamine Camara to set up Ismaïla Sarr, who coolly scored his third goal of the tournament.

The floodgates opened as substitute Pape Gueye made an immediate impact, scoring just 89 seconds after coming on. He pounced on another Iraqi mistake and blasted the ball into the top corner to make it 3-0.

Gueye, proving to be a super-sub, struck again with 20 minutes left on the clock. The ball fell perfectly for him, and he hammered another powerful shot into the top corner for his second of the night.

Iliman Ndiaye completed the rout, smashing a powerful strike from 20 yards out to seal the 5-0 triumph and book Senegal's place in the next round.

The Teranga Lions became the seventh African nation to seal a place in the knockout round following in the footsteps of Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde and Ivory Coast.

Africa could have up to nine teams in the knockout round as Algeria, on three points are in prime position, if they can avoid defeat against Austria while DR Congo, who have one point, can qualify with a win against Uzbekistan on Sunday morning.