Five Arabs Among Africa's Top Stars at the World Cup

Several African players shone for their national teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which concluded last Sunday with Spain’s title triumph, bringing to a close 104 matches filled with excitement and suspense.

FIFA highlighted the standout African stars who excelled during the participation of 10 teams from the continent in this edition. FIFA’s report began by noting the performance of Founéssy (40), the goalkeeper and captain of Cape Verde. Although not a well-known player, he delivered a heroic performance, becoming a national hero thanks to his remarkable saves and clean sheet against the world champions.

It was noted that Onahi scored a brace in a 3-0 victory over Canada, qualifying the Atlas Lions for the quarter-finals for the second consecutive time, thereby setting an African record.

Thanks to his outstanding form, Ziyech ranked among the top three African scorers at the 2026 World Cup and was included in FIFA’s list of the tournament’s top 20 players. Notably, he scored one of the fastest goals of the competition, just 71 seconds into the match against Scotland.

The Moroccan national team also produced standout players, such as 18-year-old young midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi, and Achraf Hakimi, who proved himself to be among the best right-backs in the world.

Although Senegal was eliminated in the round of 32, they left an indelible mark thanks to their potent attack, scoring 10 goals, nearly half of which came from their striker Ismaïla Sarr. Sarr became Africa’s top scorer at the 2026 World Cup with four goals in four matches. Additionally, Boubacar Traoré, playing for Spanish club Villarreal, made significant contributions in midfield.

Imam Ashour won the Man of the Match award in Egypt’s 1-1 draw against Belgium, scoring the only goal and emerging as Egypt’s surprise star at the World Cup.

Ashour scored a second goal in the round of 32 match against Australia, which the Pharaohs won on penalties after a 1-1 draw, earning him a spot among FIFA’s top 30 players of the tournament.

Egypt’s goalkeeper Mostafa Shobair also stood out with impressive performances in several matches, most notably saving a penalty from Lionel Messi in the round of 16 match, which Argentina won 3-2.

Congolese player Yvan Wasa, who was named Man of the Match, helped Congo secure a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan by scoring two goals, leading his country to the knockout stages for the first time.

Despite Algeria’s disappointing performance, player Idrissa Maza shone at the 2026 World Cup. The young player excelled in the 2-1 win over Jordan and was awarded Man of the Match.