The round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup has cemented a bitter complex for African sides under the heading of the "final five minutes curse," as the continent's ambitions crumbled in the dying moments of matches in dramatic, lethal fashion orchestrated by Europe's top strikers.
This numerical and temporal curse struck three of Africa's most prominent representatives in the knockout round, turning qualification dreams into heartbreak at the very moments when everyone believed the ties were heading to extra time or a deserved African passage through, reaffirming once again that traditional football powers understand how to settle the small details in the decisive minutes of the biggest matches.
It began with the historic epic between Belgium and Senegal, a match that entered World Cup history as one of the greatest comebacks ever witnessed. The Red Devils managed to overturn a two-goal deficit they carried until the 85th minute into a resounding 3-2 victory within normal time.
Despite the shock to Senegal, veteran striker Romelu Lukaku led the historic comeback and ignited the enthusiasm of Portuguese and Belgian supporters in the stands, before Youri Tielemans sealed the unprecedented remontada by scoring the third and decisive goal in the 89th minute following a key pass from his teammate Leandro Trossard. Belgium thus became the first team in history to avoid defeat and clinch victory within 90 minutes after trailing by two goals with just five minutes remaining, amid disbelief and shock on the Senegalese side, who had been on the verge of a historic passage through.
The same scene, with equal brutality, was repeated in the Norway versus Côte d'Ivoire match, where the Elephants imposed their organised style throughout the contest and appeared to be the most likely side to claim the qualification spot — until lethal striker Erling Haaland had other ideas in the dying moments.
In a defensive lapse after the 86th minute, Haaland seized an opportunity inside the penalty area to sting the Elephants with a decisive and thunderous goal, ending their heroic resistance and eliminating the Ivorian side from the World Cup in a repeated scenario that underlined the Norwegian striker's clinical value and his readiness to punish opponents at the first defensive error in the most critical moments of a match.
The chapters of this temporal curse were completed in the match between England and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Congolese Leopards produced a major performance characterised by physical strength and a ferocious attacking drive that embarrassed the Three Lions' defence on several occasions throughout the tie, threatening the ambitions of manager Thomas Tuchel.
Yet English experience and composure in critical moments again made the difference, as captain and all-time leading scorer Harry Kane appeared to deliver the coup de grâce and end the Leopards' adventure with a decisive goal in the final breaths of the encounter. Kane completely extinguished Congo's hopes of causing a major upset and secured England's passage to the quarter-finals, leaving behind a collective African disappointment that documented the cursed final-minutes complex which emptied the tournament of the continent's representatives at this stage.