Title Matrix

How Africa had to fight for its place at the World Cup

Football

Year2026

Duration4m

Watch Now

7.8

Try The Athletic for FREE for 30 days: https://theathletic.com/tifofootball 📗 Tifo's new book, "How to Watch Football" is now available internationally: https://linktr.ee/tifobook When FIFA officially recognised Africa as a footballing confederation, it only allocated the continent one qualifying slot for the 1958 World Cup, to be shared with Asia. It would take 22 years and the creation of the Africa Cup of Nations before a World Cup slot was guaranteed to Africa alone. This is the story of how Africa had to fight the system for its place at the World Cup. This is the fifteenth in a series, written by Jonathan Wilson, exploring the entire history of football. Illustrated by Philippe Fenner. Join the Tifo Discord Server -   / discord   Follow Tifo Football by The Athletic: Facebook:   / tifofootball   Instagram:   / tifofootball_   TikTok:   / tifofootball_   X: https://x.com/TifoFootball_ Listen to the Tifo Football podcast: The Athletic UK: http://bit.ly/TifoPodChannel Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TifoFootPod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06QIGhq... YouTube:    • Tifo Football Podcast   Watch more Tifo: Tifo Football Podcast:    • Tifo Football Podcast   Tifo Sports by The Athletic:    / @tifosports   About Tifo Football by The Athletic: Tifo loves football. We create In-depth tactical, historical and geopolitical breakdowns of the beautiful game. We know there’s an appetite for thoughtful, intelligent content. For stuff that makes the complicated simple. We provide analysis on the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, World Cup and more. Our podcasts interview some of the game’s leading figures. And our editorial covers football with depth and insight. Founded in 2017 and became a part of The Athletic in 2020. For business inquiries, reach out to tifo@theathletic.com. Additional footage sourced from freestockfootagearchive.com Music provided by APM Music #Football #Soccer #History