Africa Dominates Expanded World Cup As Cape Verde Creates History

Africa has taken the World Cup by storm as a record 10 nations from the continent have qualified for the expanded 48-team tournament. Among these teams is Cape Verde, the smallest nation to ever reach the knockout stages, who have created history by defeating Spain and drawing with Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. Their fairytale run has been a dream come true for FIFA, justifying their decision to increase the tournament by 16 teams.

Cape Verde's goalkeeper, Vozinha, has become an internet sensation after his impressive man-of-the-match display against Spain, earning him 17 million Instagram followers. The 40-year-old's heroics have catapulted him to international stardom, and his country's progress in the tournament is a testament to the growth of African football.

The African Football Confederation (CAF) has doubled its allocation of World Cup qualifiers from the previous tournament, and the results have been impressive. DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre believes that this is just the beginning of Africa's dominance in the World Cup. 'I have been working on the African continent for 15 years now. I see federations becoming better organised, coaches improving and players getting better – Africa keeps progressing,' he said.

Morocco, the first African semi-finalists four years ago, have also impressed, dominating Brazil for long spells of their opening 1-1 draw. Coach Mohamed Ouahbi is confident that his team can go all the way. 'We need to believe in this objective, this target (to win the World Cup),' he said. 'Morocco have entered a whole new dimension. The players, the fans believe in their team and our opponents respect our team.'

In contrast to Africa's surge, Asian sides have failed to justify a similar increase to nine teams. Only Japan and Australia have progressed from the Asian Football Confederation region, while Jordan and Uzbekistan ended their World Cup debuts without a point. The results have sparked debate about the expansion of the World Cup, with some questioning whether it has diluted the quality of the tournament.

'We need to believe in this objective, this target (to win the World Cup).'

• Mohamed Ouahbi, Morocco coach.

The expanded World Cup has brought a new era of excitement to the tournament, with more teams and matches than ever before. As Cape Verde and other African teams prepare to face the best teams in the world, one thing is certain – the competition is going to be fiercer than ever.