2026 World Cup: Top 5 African players of the second matchday

Beyond South Africa and Tunisia, the other African teams were not outmatched. Ghana held England to a draw (0-0), Cape Verde snatched a draw with Uruguay (2-2), Côte d'Ivoire narrowly lost (2-1) to Germany... African players shone.

Kevin Pina

Kevin Pina was heroic against Uruguay. As the scorer of Cape Verde's first ever World Cup goal, the FK Krasnodar midfielder was dominant in his role. Both defensively and offensively, the 29-year-old answered the call for the Blue Sharks. He was named Man of the Match thanks to his 84% pass completion, 70% passes completed in the Uruguayan half, 3 duels won out of 7, 4 balls recovered, 3 aerial duels won out of 4, and 2 successful tackles.

Ismaël Saibari

Two matches, two goals—Ismaël Saibari is clearly Morocco's star of the 2026 World Cup. Against Scotland, the PSV Eindhoven striker opened the scoring in just the second minute. A goal that allowed the Atlas Lions to earn their first three points of the tournament. Beyond his goal, he was a real torment for the Scottish defenders. He was a constant threat. He completed 84% of his passes, won one tackle, recovered 3 balls, won one out of 2 duels, and won one aerial duel out of 2.

Christ Inao Oulai

At 20 years old, Christ Inao Oulai was impressive in midfield. Against the German giants, the Ivorian prodigy showed no fear. Shy at the start of the match, the Trabzonspor midfielder managed to adjust. Especially in the second half, he raised his level of play. The gem was impressive with 90% pass completion, 5 out of 5 successful dribbles, 2 tackles won out of 4, 2 interceptions, 4 balls recovered, and 10 duels won out of 14.

Thomas Partey

Denied a visa by Canada and missing Ghana's first match against Panama in Group L, Thomas Partey played his first match at the 2026 World Cup. Despite facing England, the Villarreal defensive midfielder put on an incredible performance. The Black Stars played very defensively for the full 90 minutes, and Partey was invaluable in recovering the ball. The 33-year-old brought his experience, completing 85% of his passes, having 12 defensive contributions, 4 tackles won, 2 interceptions, and 6 ground duels won out of 8.

Lionel Mpasi

Clearly, Lionel Mpasi is not willing to let anything slip at this World Cup. After the Portugal match, the goalkeeper repeated the same level of performance against Colombia. Despite DR Congo's 0-1 defeat to the Cafeteros early this morning in Group K, the goalkeeper frustrated the Colombian attackers. With 8 saves—including 4 in the penalty area—the keeper delayed the inevitable several times before conceding in the 75th minute.