DOHA: Morocco’s 1-0 victory over Portugal on Saturday made them the first African team to reach the last four of a World Cup.
Three African teams had fallen in the quarter-final stage before Walid Regragui’s side finally ended the continent’s long wait for a semifinal spot.
Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010 had all made strong runs in the tournament but were unable to go beyond the last eight.
The first African team to reach the quarters were Cameroon in Italia ‘90 where the ‘Indomitable Lions’, having beaten Colombia in the last 16, came up against Bobby Robson’s England.
David Platt put England ahead in the 25th minute but the introduction of the 38-year-old Roger Milla at the break sparked a turnaround.
Milla won a penalty which Emmanuel Kunde converted in the 61st minute and then four minutes later set Eugene Ekeke to put the African side ahead.
But Gary Lineker’s 83rd minute penalty took the game into extra-time and the England poacher struck again in the 105th minute to end Cameroon’s dream.
Despite the defeat Cameroon took a deserved lap of honor at the San Paolo stadium in Naples having won many hearts and much respect with their performances which began with a 1-0 win over Argentina in their opening group game.
Senegal’s run to the last eight in South Korea and Japan was all the more impressive given it was their first appearance in a World Cup tournament.
The Lions made a grand entry beating the defending champion and favorite France 1-0 in the opening match.
That shock victory was followed up draws with Denmark (1-1) and Uruguay (3-3) to set up a round of 16 clash with Sweden which was won 2-1 thanks to two goals from Henri Camara, the second the match-winning ‘golden goal’ in extra-time.
Turkiye were the opponents in the last eight but this time the golden goal rule proved to be the undoing of the Africans — after the game ended goalless in 90 minutes, Ilhan Mansiz struck four minutes into extra-time to send the Turks through.
That was the last ‘golden goal’ scored in a men’s international tournament, with FIFA returning to normal extra-time for the 2006 edition.
Until Saturday’s Moroccan success, the nearest an African team had been to the last four was in 2010 when Ghana were a last-second penalty away from the semifinals.
The game finished 1-1 after normal time with Sulley Muntari canceling out Diego Forlan’s opener.
In the final moments of extra-time Uruguay forward Luis Suarez prevented a certain goal with a deliberate handball on the goalline to deny Ghana a winner.
Suarez was sent off but Asamoah Gyan smashed the resulting spot kick against the bar and Uruguay then won the penalty shoot-out.
Morocco make it fourth time lucky for Africa at World Cup
https://arab.news/j89ju
Morocco make it fourth time lucky for Africa at World Cup
- Three African teams had fallen in the quarter-final stage
- The first African team to reach the quarters were Cameroon in Italia ‘90
Young future stars of Saudi golf enjoy a moment alongside the big names at LIV Golf Riyadh
- Participants in ROSHN Rising Stars program to develop golfing talent in the Kingdom play friendly competition at Riyadh Golf Club before round 3 of the season opener tees off
- ‘Golf is such a fundamental sport for development … The values of golf can be correlated to the values of society: confidence, resilience and integrity,’ says LIV Golf’s Jake Jones
RIYADH: While much of the spotlight during LIV Golf’s 2026 season opener in Riyadh this week has of course been on the return of some of the sport’s biggest names for the new campaign, a new generation of Saudi golfers is also quietly taking its own first steps into the game.
Participants in the ROSHN Rising Stars program, an initiative designed to introduce and develop young golfing talent across the Kingdom, gathered at Riyadh Golf Club on Friday afternoon for a friendly competition a few hours before the third round of the main event teed off under the lights.
“The real focus is getting golf into the lives of young people in the Kingdom,” Jake Jones, LIV Golf’s senior vice president of impact and sustainability told Arab News as the young golfers took to the course under cloudy skies.
“We wanted to do something a little bit different, something sustained, with a long-term outcome, and that’s how this program was created.”
The program runs for 20 weeks, during which the participants receive weekly coaching and instruction sessions at Riyadh Golf Club from Golf Saudi professionals.
“This takes them from never having held a golf club before to reaching a point where they’ve now played in a competition,” Jones said.
The fact that the LIV Golf season opens in Riyadh provides another key benefit for the participants, as they get to experience the professional game up close, and this access to world-class players and events forms a key part of their journey.
“We give them exposure to our LIV Golf events, here and internationally,” Jones added.
Beyond this, and teaching people how to play the game, the program offers participants insights into the wider aspects of the world of golf, including career opportunities.
“They’ve had behind-the-scenes tours, pitch-and-putt sessions, long-drive competitions and visits to places like the media center,” Jones said. “It’s about showing them what it’s like not just to play golf, but work in the sport as well.”
Friday’s event in Riyadh marked the conclusion of the 20-week program for its participants.
“Today is really the celebration point,” Jones said. “We’re at the graduation phase of this journey, where they’ll compete in a three-hole challenge. We then crown a winner and celebrate with them back at the ROSHN Fan Village.”
As golf continues to grow in popularity in the region, Jones believes initiatives such as Rising Stars will have a lasting effect on the development of next generation of players.
“Golf is such a fundamental sport for development; it’s not just about physical activity and having fun,” he said. “The values of golf can be correlated to the values of society: confidence, resilience and integrity.
“Imagine playing golf and you miss the ball or you end up in the sand; you have to get back up and try again. You block the noise around you and focus on the ball to make the right shot.”
Jones highlighted in particular the importance of integrity as one of golf’s defining characteristics, and how that can help shape personal development.
“The rules of golf are reliant on you following them,” he said. “That sense of honesty and self-discipline is something young players can carry beyond the course” into the roles they play in their communities, societies and countries.
“The role that golf can have with young people in Saudi Arabia is actually another layer of baking in those core societal skills, to ensure that they are fit and robust for the future,” Jones added.
This is particularly important given the youthful nature of the Saudi population, more than half of which is under the age of 30, he said, and they now have the chance to benefit from golf in one way or another.
“Golf is now another avenue that they can explore. Whether it’s playing, working in the sport or simply finding a community, we want to give them another reason to get excited.
“We believe that golf can do all of that and, hopefully, it can spark a lasting passion among the Saudi youth.”
