Who are the ten African players to watch out for at this year's World Cup?

10  Ryan Mendes

CAPE VERDE · IGDIR · FORWARD · AGE 36

Cape Verde, an archipelago of barely 525 000 people, are the second-smallest nation ever to qualify, behind only Iceland. Mendes holds both national records, 94 caps and 22 goals, and at 36 this is his first and only World Cup. The Blue Sharks are organised and fearless, and drawn in a group with Spain and Uruguay.

9  Hannibal Mejbri

TUNISIA · BURNLEY · ATTACKING MIDFIELDER · AGE 23

The Burnley player is a maverick who adds some flair to a side built on discipline. A Manchester United academy product who chose his parents’ country over France, he brings energy and edge, with a goal and four assists this season. Tunisia made history in qualifying, the first team ever to reach a World Cup without conceding a single goal. In a group with the Netherlands, his spark could matter.

8  Ronwen Williams

SOUTH AFRICA · MAMELODI SUNDOWNS · GOALKEEPER · AGE 34

The one Bafana Bafana man on the list, and the side’s captain. Williams is the goalkeeper who carried South Africa back to a World Cup, the shoot-out hero of the 2023 AFCON who saved four penalties to stun Cape Verde and drive his country to third place. Named CAF Goalkeeper of the Year in 2024 and ranked among the world’s best at that year’s Ballon d’Or, he has just lifted a second CAF Champions League title with Mamelodi Sundowns. Bafana qualified on merit for the first time since 2002 and open against hosts Mexico.

7  Yoane Wissa

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO · NEWCASTLE UNITED · FORWARD · AGE 29

A season wrecked by a knee injury, just three goals in all competitions, but the stage suits redemption. Congo are at a World Cup for the first time since 1974, when they played as Zaire. With Wan-Bissaka and Sadiki adding Premier League steel and veteran Bakambu up top, the Leopards are no minnows. Drawn with Portugal and Colombia, they need Wissa firing.

6  Riyad Mahrez

ALGERIA · AL AHLI · WINGER · AGE 35

The captain leads Algeria back to a World Cup after a 12-year absence, and he has confirmed it is his last. An AFCON winner in 2019, and a serial winner at Leicester and Manchester City, he is the most decorated player on this list. His farewell joins those of Messi, Modric, and Neymar. The Fennecs have a deeper attack than ever, but on the big days they still look to him for magic.

5  Amad Diallo

CÔTE D’IVOIRE · MANCHESTER UNITED · WINGER · AGE 23

A different player for club and country. Quiet weeks at Manchester United give way to fireworks in Ivorian orange: three goals, an assist, and three man-of-the-match awards in four games at the 2025 AFCON. The Elephants are the 2023 African champions with real depth. The youngest forward here has the highest ceiling, and if the international version turns up, he could light up the World Cup.

4  Antoine Semenyo

GHANA · MANCHESTER CITY · WINGER · AGE 26

One of the breakout players this season. Born in London to Ghanaian parents and turned away by a string of academies as a boy, Semenyo chose the Black Stars and forced his way to the top. He scored ten Premier League goals for Bournemouth before a January move to Manchester City, finishing the campaign with 21 goals across all competitions, two domestic cups, and a Player of the Season nomination. A direct, powerful winger who runs at defenders, he gives Ghana a genuine cutting edge.

3  Sadio Mané

SENEGAL · AL NASSR · FORWARD · AGE 34

Player of the Tournament at the 2025 AFCON, where he scored the semi-final winner against Mohammad Salah’s Egypt. Still scoring freely in Saudi Arabia, he is Senegal’s all-time top scorer with 55 goals in 127 caps. The Lions of Teranga land in a group of death with France, Norway, and Iraq, and they will lean on his big-match nerve. Another likely last dance.

2  Mohamed Salah

EGYPT · LIVERPOOL · FORWARD · AGE 33

Almost certainly his last World Cup, and after his Liverpool departure. Even in a quieter season he has seven goals and six assists in the league. For Egypt he is everything: around 66 international goals, second on the all-time list, and the record scorer in African World Cup qualifying history. The one glaring gap is a World Cup knockout appearance. Expect him to chase it hard.

Salah, Mané, Mahrez, and Mendes are all almost certainly waving goodbye to the World Cup stage.

1  Achraf Hakimi

MOROCCO · PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN · RIGHT-BACK · AGE 27

The best African player in the world right now. Hakimi was named 2025 CAF African Footballer of the Year and finished sixth at the Ballon d’Or, the best a Moroccan has managed, after sweeping the quadruple with PSG, including their first Champions League, with 13 goals and 15 assists from full-back. Morocco are the reigning African champions and 2022 semi-finalists, Africa’s best-ever showing at a Football World Cup, and he is their engine. A worthy number one.