Caption: Mohamed Salah wins Player of the Match in Egypt vs New Zealand game Source: @firstdailysport
It has been a mixed bag of fortunes for the Maghreb region at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After two weeks of intense battle, Tunisia have been eliminated, Algeria ‘skate on thin ice’ in Group J, Egypt re-write their World Cup history and Morocco has simply been class.
The Atlas Lions of Morocco exploded out of the starting blocks with a scintillating performance in their first match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In recent times, Morocco has proven to be a difficult opponent for Brazil and this trend continued at the MetLife Stadium.
Ismael Saibari scored just 71 seconds into their next match against Scotland to keep the ‘Pride’ in contention for a Round of 32 spot. The Bayern Munich-bound diamond is only the second African player to score in his first two appearances at the FIFA World Cup.
Mohamed Salah inspired Egypt to their first victory at a FIFA World Cup as the Pharaohs came from behind to beat New Zealand 3-1 and move top of Group G on Sunday night. @CAFonline.com
Mohamed Salah, who was the first African player to score in his first two appearances on the world stage, celebrated a sensational performance against Belgium on his 34th birthday. Al-Ahly’s very own diamond, Emam Ashour, launched a stunning long-range rocket that secured a point in their first match in Seattle.
The Pharaohs went on to change a bizarre piece of football history when they won their first-ever World Cup game against New Zealand in Vancouver. Mostafa Zico, Mahmoud Trezeguet and captain Mohamed Salah will soon have ancient pyramids named after them. This was the beautiful nation’s first World Cup win in 92 years.
Meanwhile, things went from bad to worse for the ‘Carthage Eagles’. The Eagles had their wings brutally clipped by a clinical Swedish team—a result that led to the sacking of Sabri Lamouchi and the appointment of Herve Renard.
Not even this managerial change could prevent their unfortunate fate in North America. The inability to stop Japan’s relentless pressing as well as struggles to establish any passing rhythm cost the team dearly. They recorded only two touches inside Japan’s penalty area throughout the entire match—what a disgraceful way to exit the FIFA World Cup.
What happened to the Tunisia that qualified for the World Cup with 9 wins, 1 draw and 0 losses? What happened to the ‘Carthage Eagles’ that became the first nation to complete a World Cup qualifying cycle without conceding a single goal across their ten matches?
Tunisia is bordered by Algeria, which lost 3-0 to a clinical hat-trick from Lionel Messi under highly controversial circumstances. The Desert Foxes next face Jordan in a high-stakes, elimination-style encounter at Levi’s Stadium, California.
