African nations at the FIFA World Cup by Asamoah Gyan. Had Ghana won their quarter final they would have become the very first African nation to progress to the semifinals of the world cup. Of the 32 countries that participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, FIFA ranked Ghana 7th. The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil marked the first time more than one African team went beyond the group stages. While Ghana and Cameroon both collected disappointing results (apart from Ghana's 2–2 draw with later champions Germany, which saw them becoming the only team not to lose against the Germans in the entire tournament) and eventually
2002 FIFA World Cup Group A 2002 FIFA World Cup Group A The 2002 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams divided into eight lettered groups. Group A comprised 1998 winners, France, two-time winners Uruguay, Denmark and FIFA World Cup debutants Senegal. The group's first match was played on 31 May 2002, and the last matches on 11 June 2002. From the outset, it was apparent that the group would not pan out as expected, as Senegal beat France 1–0 in the opening match of the tournament. France followed this with a goalless draw against Uruguay, in a match in which their star striker, Thierry Henry was