FIFA WC 2025: 10 African talents to watch keenly

Nicolas Jackson – Senegal
Often criticized for his performances with the national team, Nicolas Jackson showed what he was doing during the AFCON 2025 in Morocco by scoring 2 goals in 3 matches. After a great season in Germany with Bayern Munich (11 goals and 4 assists in 34 games), the 24-year-old center-forward will be highly anticipated for his first World Cup.

Especially in a summer that promises to be decisive for him, with a vague future at Chelsea, Nicolas Jackson is therefore playing big. Knowing that this World Cup will be the last major competition for Sadio Mané, Jackson will also try to prove to Pape Thiaw that he can be the new attack leader of the Lions.

Noah Sadiki – DR Congo
Noah Sadiki has just completed his first season in the Premier League with Sunderland where he was one of the most important players for Regis Le Bris with 32 starts in 32 games. In the national team, the 21-year-old midfielder is also one of Sébastien Desabre’s untouchables, as he contributes to the balance of the team.

Yan Diomandé – Côte d'Ivoire
Highly anticipated for his first major competition in Morocco with the AFCON 2025, Yan Diomandé did not really shine with Côte d'Ivoire, being stolen by Amad Diallo. Even though he was the best dribbler of the competition (16/24), Yan Diomandé has to prove on this World Cup that he is the undisputed holder on the left flank of the Elephants' attack, especially since the competition in his position will be tough in the coming months, with Bazoumana Touré, Martial Godo and Yan Gboho in ambush. 

Voted "Best Young Player" of the Bundesliga, the 19-year-old left winger with 13 goals and 10 assists in 36 games must now make Côte d'Ivoire shine and above all increase his rating a little more in view of the summer transfer market.

Hannibal Mejbri – Tunisia
Despite being relegated to the Championship with Burnley, Hannibal Mejbri (29 games, 1 goal and 4 assists) had a great season and improved enormously in his ability to handle pressure and carry the ball forward. One of the best Tunisians at the AFCON, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder will still be expected with the Carthage Eagles.

Omar Marmoush – Egypt
He doesn’t yet have an indisputable starting position at Manchester City, but Omar Marmoush can be proud of his first season in the Premier League with the Skyblues, especially with a Pep Guardiola who is adept at weekly tactical upheavals. The Egyptian who scored 8 goals and delivered 3 assists in 36 games will be expected to be the left counterpart of the attacking leader Mohamed Salah who is nearing the end.

Neil El Aynaoui – Morocco
After an exceptional AFCON 2025, following which he was included in the SNA-type team of the competition, Neil Aynaoui (2 goals and 2 assists in 32 games with AS Roma) will have to confirm that he is a player of the big tournament, to prove that he is not a shooting star. If Achraf Hakimi is the natural leader of Morocco, Aynaoui stands out as the midfield hub of the Atlas Lions. 

Helio Varela – Cape Verde
At 24 years old, Helio Varela is one of the few young people in the group from Cape Verde that will play the first World Cup in its history, most of the managers of Bubista being over thirty. And the 24-year-old left winger is coming off a great season with Maccabi Tel Aviv with 5 goals and 3 assists in 41 games. However, his biggest challenge is to finally score in the national team, since he still hasn’t found the gap in 19 caps with the Blue Sharks. Doing it in the final phase of the World Cup would make the story even more beautiful.

Oswin Apollis – South Africa
There is a lot of talk about Teboho Mokoena, who is the technical leader of the Bafana Bafana, and Lyle Foster, one of the few forwards from South Africa playing abroad, but Oswin Apollis is another member of Hugo Broos’s group to watch closely at the next World Cup.

Scoring 8 goals in 25 caps, the left wing of Orlando Pirares was impressive in qualifying for this World Cup with the Bafana Bafana, scoring 2 goals for 4 assists in 8 matches. This season, he scored 12 goals and delivered 9 assists in 42 games with the Buccaneers.

Farès Chaibi – Algeria
After a great AFCON 2025 in Morocco (5 matches including 4 as a starter, 1 goal) where he was the boss of Algeria’s midfield, Farès Chaibi is one of the sure values on which Vladimir Petkovic will count for this World Cup. At 23, the attacking midfielder who has just finished a great season with Eintracht Frankfurt (3 goals and 10 assists in 38 games) will play a crucial role for the Fennecs at the World Cup.

Antoine Semenyo – Ghana
This season, the Ghanaian stars have all disappointed at club level except one and his name is Antoine Semenyo. After moving from Bournemouth to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, the 26-year-old right winger didn’t need any adjustment time before winning at Etihad Stadium. In total, Antoine Semenyo scored 20 goals and delivered 6 assists in 47 games this season between the Cherries and the Skyblues to whom he gave the FA Cup with the goal of victory in the final against Chelsea. Semenyo will naturally be the spearhead of the Black Stars, led by experienced Carlos Queiroz at the World Cup.