Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz said on Thursday it was his team’s “duty” to ensure an African side reached the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 after a string of knockout defeats for teams from the continent.

The veteran Portuguese, managing at his fifth consecutive World Cup, led Ghana into the last 32 as one of the top third-placed teams.

They were among a record nine African nations who progressed from the group stage out of 10 who started the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

However, only Morocco have made the next step to the last 16 so far, with South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast and DR Congo falling by the wayside.

“It’s another challenge for us,” said Queiroz, whose team face Colombia in Kansas City on Friday. “We have to improve these statistics tomorrow.

“We have to make it better. So it is on our shoulders to be sure that we add another African team to the next round. That’s our duty.”