Amid the World Cup, the new pan-Africanism is conditional
Key takeaways
- A record number of African nations are at the 2026 World Cup, but the continent no longer backs them all.
- Writer, researcher, and political analyst.
- The criticism, primarily from other Africans, was directed towards South Africa’s anti-immigrant and xenophobic approach to residents from other African countries.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
A record number of African nations are at the 2026 World Cup, but the continent no longer backs them all.
Writer, researcher, and political analyst.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo South Africa's players react after losing the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between South Africa and Canada at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 28, 2026 [AFP]Before the June 18 South Africa-Czechia match at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, South Africa’s captain Ronwen Williams responded directly to online attacks against the players and the team. The criticism, primarily from other Africans, was directed towards South Africa’s anti-immigrant and xenophobic approach to residents from other African countries. He said he hoped football could unite players and that they should “enjoy and have a wonderful time, and we leave politics to the politicians”. The incident reinforced the growing conditionality that marks African support for African teams, a shift that has become more visible in recent years.