Congo players and staff pray after the World Cup Group K soccer match between DR Congo and Uzbekistan in Atlanta, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
On one of the biggest stages in sports — the 2026 World Cup — the African Diaspora showed what resilience looks like.
By Chris Murray
For the Philadelphia Sunday SUN
As I watched the World Cup soccer tournament, I really felt the beauty and the impact of the African Diaspora as Black players from all over the world and Africa have made their presence felt in the world’s most popular tournament.
I would go even further and say that this 2026 World Cup in North America was a celebration of Africa and the African Diaspora because Black players were different makers on teams from both Europe and the Americas.
In this tournament, Black athletes from the Americas, the Caribbean Islands, South America, Europe and the continent of Africa were among those who helped shape the character of the 2026 World Cup. Some say these athletes have become the new face of international soccer.
To me, their presence is a symbol of the ongoing resilience of the descendants of the formerly enslaved and those impacted by colonialism.
Despite the ongoing trials of Black people around the world, their presence on the World Cup pitch was a resounding reminder that despite the challenges, we are still a force to be reckoned with, no matter what the context.
The 2026 World Cup started with Mexican forward Julian Quinones scoring the tournament’s first goal. Before his team fell to England in the Round of 16, Quinones scored four goals in the tournament.
Spain’s road to the 2026 World Cup title was paved in part by the performance of 18-year-old of Lamine Yamal, whose mother is from Equatorial Guinea and father from Morocco, and Nico Williams, Jr, whose header enabled Ferran Torres to score the game-winning goal to defeat Argentina in the second period of extra time.
Although France fell to Spain in the semifinals and England in the Consolation Game, it wasn’t due to a lack of effort from France’s Kylian M’bappe. M’bappe won the Golden Boot — the award given to the tournament’s top scorer — for scoring a record 10 goals.
In the third-place game against England, M’bappe scored two goals and led his team in a comeback that fell short after his team was down 4-0.
Meanwhile, France’s opponent in the consolation game, England, introduced the world to 23-year-old Jude Bellingham, who became the first player in England’s World Cup history to score seven goals.
While teammate and team captain Harry Kane came into the World Cup as England’s superstar striker, it was Bellingham who came up with the big goals in the games that mattered most during England’s run to be the semifinal. Against Mexico in the round of 16, Bellingham scored two goals in 98 seconds to propel England into the quarterfinal.
In the third-place game, Bellingham scored the final goal. But it was his fellow Afro-English teammate Bukayo Saka who came off the English bench against France to score three goals in the second half.
Meanwhile, the U.S., which made it to the round of 16 before being eliminated by Belgium, featured African American players Folarin Balagon, Malik Tillman, and Alex Freeman.
From a team perspective, you had the smallest country in the Caribbean, the tiny nation of Curacao, make its debut in the World Cup while Haiti made its return to the tournament for the first time in 50 years.
While neither of those teams won a game during the tournament, the bigger victory was just being there, especially for the team from Haiti. The instability that has been a part of Haiti’s existence for the last 20 years led to their national team having to practice elsewhere.
Haitian fans were hopeful that this trip on the World Cup stage would lead to a long-term benefit for a country that could seriously use one.
“The world can see us, and maybe they can understand what is going on in our country and maybe we can get some help,” said Harry Dumont, a Haitian American who lives in North Philadelphia who was watching the game at the FIFA Fan Fest in Lemon Hill.
Meanwhile, perennial South American powerhouse and five-time World Cup champion Brazil, the country with the highest Black population in the world, made it to the Round of 16 before falling to Norway.
One of the World Cup’s more inspiring stories was the performance of the African nations that participated. A record nine teams from the continent made it to the round of 32 knockout stage. While Morocco and Egypt were the only two of the nine teams to make it to the Round of 16, the teams from the African continent didn’t go down without a fight.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that is also ravaged by internal strife, led England for much of their round of 32 matchup until Harry Kane scored two late goals to push the Brits into the next round. Senegal had a two-goal lead on Belgium before the Belgians rallied late in regulation and scored the winning goal in extra time.
Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) was even with Norway until it got the game-winning goal from Erling Haaland in the 86th minute. Ghana also represented well in a losing cause to Colombia.
Perhaps the most stirring performance by an African nation in the round of 32 came from Cape Verdes. Cape Verdes took a late lead against Argentina, the defending champion and 2026 World Cup runner up, but wound up falling to Argentina 3-2.
The 2026 World Cup showed that the continent, which will play host to the TotalEnergies CAF African Cup of Nations later this year, has something to say when it comes to the game they know as fútbol.
“For a long time, African nations have been doubted in what they can do at major competitions,” Ghana forward Brandon Thomas-Asante said in an interview with the Associated Press. “And I’m glad to see so much success among all the African nations, and it just shows much talent there is all across the world, and Africa is no different.”
But you have to wonder just how much louder that voice would be if Kylian Mbappe, Julian Quinones, Folarin Balagon, Lamine Yamal or Jude Bellingham were playing for their ancestral homes.
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