Africa's connection to the World Cup final goes back decades and continues in 2026

[p]Their aspirations were ended by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a], one of the many European sides littered with players of African heritage.[/p][p]There will be African interest tonight, as there has been the case in finals since 1998, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a]’s squad having two players with African parents – striker [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/williams-nico/Cp7lcVjJ/"]Nico Williams[/a] from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ghana/nNBjHale/"]Ghana[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lamine-yamal/lAt3vEub/"]Lamine Yamal[/a], whose father is from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a] and mother from Equatorial [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/guinea/lGDZlkOb/"]Guinea[/a].[/p][p]Injury to Williams meant he has had a limited role at the 2026 finals in Canada, Mexico, and the United States (where his elder brother Inaki played for the Black Stars) while Lamine has featured in all the games but scored only once and not had the impact he might have hoped for, although he is still La Roja’s most dangerous player.[/p][p]Players with African heritage played a part in France’s winning side in 1998 when Ghana-born [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/desailly-marcel/pb1QDnZr/"]Marcel Desailly[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zidane-zinedine/b7zuQEqO/"]Zinedine Zidane[/a], whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/algeria/nc87N1BR/"]Algeria[/a], were key to the side that beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/brazil-I9l9aqLq/france-QkGeVG1n/?mid=WKXKSVEQ"]3-0[/a] in the final at Stade de France. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vieira-patrick/AaLVdEGK/"]Patrick Vieira[/a], born in Dakar, came on as a substitute while Morocco’s Said Belqoba became the first African to referee a World Cup final with Cape Town’s Achmat Sallie as his linesman.[/p][embed guid="ddc51777-2fcf-4584-9ebe-51ef59f68d73" url="https://x.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/2078661371005452530?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]When France lost to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/hlKvieGH/"]Italy[/a] in the 2006 final in Berlin, Zidane got a red card while Vieira started along with Kinshasa-born [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/makelele-claude/nBioSRob/"]Claude Makelele[/a], while Aliou Diarra, of Senegalese heritage, came on off the bench. [/p][p]In the 2002 final in Yokohama, Japan, Ghana-born [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/asamoah-gerald/z1a9iZaO/"]Gerald Asamoah[/a] came on as a substitute for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]Germany[/a] in their [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/brazil-I9l9aqLq/germany-ptQide1O/?mid=zg8tkBZ5"]2-0[/a] loss to Brazil.[/p][p]There was also Ghanaian influence in the German side that won in 2014 in Rio de Janeiro with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/boateng-jerome/0bDEBms3/"]Jerome Boateng[/a], whose father was from West Africa, in the victorious line-up.[/p][p]The 2010 final was, of course, an African affair played at Soccer City in Johannesburg, which was the first, and is the only, time it has been decided on the continent. Spian edged the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/netherlands/WYintcWb/"]Netherlands[/a] after extra time.[/p][p]In Moscow in 2018, France beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/croatia/K8aznggo/"]Croatia[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/croatia-K8aznggo/france-QkGeVG1n/?mid=2kQPzUIB"]4-2[/a] in the rain with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cameroon/zk1uVG2D/"]Cameroon[/a]-born [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/umtiti-samuel/zsH7aMfI/"]Samuel Umtiti[/a] in defence; [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pogba-paul/MTNGv0hT/"]Paul Pogba[/a], whose parents came from Guinea and whose brothers both played for Guinea’s Syli Nationale national team; [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kante-n-golo/IkmsHsOR/"]N’Golo Kanté[/a], born in Paris to Malian parents; [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/matuidi-blaise/CAWma17n/"]Blaise Matuidi[/a] with an Angolan father and Congolese mother, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbappe-kylian/Wn6E2SED/"]Kylian Mbappé[/a], whose father was from Cameroon.[/p][embed guid="108f74f5-995a-43d5-86ae-e5a2a01a8fe1" url="https://x.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/2078789782541680933?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The three subs that came on for France also had African roots – [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nzonzi-steven/OUq8hfI7/"]Steve Nzonzi[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/d-r-congo/phn9mm8H/"]DR Congo[/a]), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tolisso-corentin/hQOIoFOs/"]Corentin Tolisso[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/togo/noW84S74/"]Togo[/a]), and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fekir-nabil/xG1QmowQ/"]Nabil Fekir[/a] (Algeria).[/p][p]The last final in Qatar saw the French side again with Mbappé, who scored a hat-trick yet finished on the losing side against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a], plus another bevy of players with African heritage in the starting line-up - [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dembele-ousmane/zsMC2Ec0/"]Ousmane Dembélé[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mali/jVn5lThB/"]Mali[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mauritania/Q5QPxhPn/"]Mauritania[/a]), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kounde-jules/v36QVRPu/"]Jules Koundé[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/benin/tKuIoRxU/"]Benin[/a]), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tchouameni-aurelien/QkiZum3e/"]Aurélien Tchouaméni[/a] (Cameroon), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/upamecano-dayot/OMhLhEJB/"]Dayo Upamecano[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/guinea-bissau/0rJs9H8F/"]Guinea-Bissau[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/senegal/hOIsJLJr/"]Senegal[/a]).[/p][p]It was the first final with five subs that included [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/angola/rTRqsooo/"]Angola[/a]-born [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/camavinga-eduardo/6ekYsPfO/"]Eduardo Camavinga[/a] plus French-born [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/disasi-axel/Q32vx71U/"]Axel Disasi[/a] (Angola and DR Congo), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fofana-youssouf/dn3cCK1H/"]Youssouf Fofana[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ivory-coast/G2FRjBgn/"]Ivory Coast[/a] and Mali), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kolo-muani-randal/WKBRZ6Y6/"]Randal Kolo Muani[/a] (DR Congo), and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/konate-ibrahima/QJlbDbQe/"]Ibrahima Konaté[/a] (Mali). [/p]