The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature a record 10 African nations, but one achievement in the tournament’s history is already guaranteed to survive another edition, Footynaija reports.
That record belongs to former Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa, whose name remains etched in World Cup folklore despite Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
African football has produced several players capable of scoring twice in a World Cup match. Cameroon legend Roger Milla did it at Italia ’90, while Ghana’s Mohammed Kudus repeated the feat in Qatar in 2022. Musa, however, stands alone in a category no other African footballer has reached.
The former Nigerian winger first grabbed a World Cup brace against Argentina during the 2014 tournament in Brazil, scoring twice in a thrilling 3-2 defeat. He was only 21 years old at the time, also becoming the youngest African to net a brace at the World Cup. Four years later, he delivered another two-goal display, inspiring Nigeria to a 2-0 victory over Iceland at Russia 2018.
That second brace made Musa the first African player to score two goals in a World Cup match across two different editions of the competition. With no African player heading to the 2026 tournament carrying a previous World Cup brace, the record cannot be matched, let alone broken, in North America.
Any African star who scores a brace in 2026 would only be taking the first step. To equal Musa’s feat, that player would need to qualify for another World Cup and repeat the achievement in 2030.
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At the moment, while a new generation of African talent prepares for football’s biggest stage, Musa’s unique World Cup milestone remains beyond reach and secure in the history books for at least another four years.
