African teams set for Qatar 2022 World Cup

It’s finally here - the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar. We are proud and supporting our African teams to the end. Here are some facts about our teams you may not know about.

How many African teams have qualified for the 2022 Fifa World Cup?

Five African teams, Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia, are participating in the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar. This is the first time in World Cup history that African coaches will lead all five African nations in the competition.

Cameroon

Cameroon's coach is Rigobert Song, 46. He has played at four World Cups and coached the Indomitable Lions when they won the African Cup of Nations twice in 8 tournament appearances. 

Cameroon's Indomitable Lions team was the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals in 1990. They have since qualified for the tournament 8 times between 1990 and 2002. In the 2022 qualifiers, they played and won against Algeria and earned their place in Group G alongside Brazil, Serbia, and Switzerland. 

Senegal

Senegal's coach is Aliou Cisse, 46. He intends to atone for an agonising exit from the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where Senegal did not qualify for a second-round place due to them accumulating more yellow cards than Japan. 

Senegal's team, the Lions of Teranga, first qualified to participate in the FIFA World cup in 2002, held in Japan and Korea. They became one of the three African teams to reach the quarter-finals stage. The team also won the 2021 AFCON Title. They recently qualified for World Cup 2018 in Russia and ranked 17th overall. After playing and beating Egypt in the third round of the 2022 qualifiers, they earned their place in Group A alongside Qatar, Ecuador, and the Netherlands. 

Ghana

Ghana's coach is former World Cup midfielder Otto Addo, 47, who has never been a head coach; he has experienced a lot of backlash but aims to prove many people wrong this World Cup. 

Ghana's team, The Black Stars, has won the AFCON tournament four times and been runner-up five times. They came in third at the 1992 Summer Olympics, which was an exceptional achievement in the football world. The Ghanaians qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2006, 2010, and 2014 however they did not make it in for 2018. This year, they earned their spot in Group H, alongside Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea.

Morocco

Morocco's coach is Walid Regragui, 47 whose coaching career began in 2012. He has also had coaching preparation this year, where he replaced Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic for the Atlas Lions. This year, the highlight of his coaching career was when he led Wydad Casablanca to victory over Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League final.

Morocco's team, the Atlas Lions, has participated in the Fifa World Cup 6 times since 1970 and is ranked as the 22nd-best national team in the world. In the 1986 Mexico World Cup, they ranked 11th. Many Moroccan players play in the top European leagues. They played and beat DR Congo, which earned them a place in this year's World Cup in Qatar, in group F alongside Belgium, Canada, and Croatia. 

Tunisia

The Tunisia coach is Jalel Kadri, 51. He has 20 years of experience as a club coach and worked in Tunisia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. He was recently promoted from an assistant when Mondher Kebaier was sacked following an Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals loss to Burkina Faso.

The Tunisia team has qualified for the FIFA World Cup 5 times since 1978. In 1978, Tunisia became the first African team to win a World Cup match. They have also participated in the AFCON tournament 20 times and won once as hosts in 2004. They recently played and beat Mali, securing a spot at the 2022 World Cup in Group D alongside France, Australia, and Denmark.

Find out when your favourite African team is playing https://supersport.com/football/fifa-world-cup-2022/fixtures 

Facts about the 2022 world cup 

Every aspect of the World Cup is exciting, and here are some fun facts you might not know about the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

• Qatar is the smallest country to host the FIFA World Cup by land size and population. 
• Qatar is a very conservative Muslim country and will not sell alcohol in the stadium, which is unusual for many world cup spectators. However, they have set up alcohol-friendly "fan zones" that are affordable. 
• Although it is Qatar's winter season, Qatar is situated in a subtropical climate and is very hot and humid. So there will be air conditioning in the stadium. 
• Due to the weather conditions, Qatar's football pitches need much more water than usual to maintain their condition. Each pitch needs about 10,000 litres. 

Qatar 2022 World Cup: Unusual & fun facts and statistics (no date) Qatar 2022 World Cup: Unusual & Fun Facts and Statistics. Available at: https://www.firstmats.co.uk/blogs/buying-guides/qatar-2022-world-cup-fun-facts-and-statistics (Accessed: November 22, 2022). 

Meet the five home-grown coaches leading African teams to World Cup (1969) Channels Television. Available at: https://www.channelstv.com/2022/11/18/meet-the-five-home-grown-coaches-leading-african-teams-to-world-cup/ (Accessed: November 22, 2022). 

Wanjiku, B. (2022) Best African football team: Which is the best squad for the upcoming World Cup?, SportsBrief. Available at: https://sportsbrief.com/facts/teams/25994-best-african-football-team-african-squad-upcoming-world-cup/ (Accessed: November 22, 2022).