Are you following the FIFA World Cup 2026? If so, you must know that 10 African countries are well represented at this year’s event, held across three countries: the United States, Mexico, and Canada. While the focus is on football, we’d like you to know the top tourist attractions of these African countries, should you decide to visit.
Tourism in Africa is a big deal. In 2025, the continent welcomed an estimated 81 million international visitors, marking an 8% increase from the previous year and making Africa the world’s fastest-growing tourism region.
Morocco and Egypt are at the top of this list, attracting 17.5 million and 15 million visitors, respectively, in 2024. Together, just nine African nations—Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Botswana—accounted for over 50 million visitors.
In this article, we highlight the 10 African countries in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and their tourist attractions.
Table of Contents
1. Morocco
Morocco is a beautiful country with vibrant colours, ancient spice markets, and sweeping landscapes where the mountains meet the desert. Here are 10 beautiful places to visit in Morocco:
Marrakesh Medina
Marrakesh Medina is a bustling UNESCO World Heritage site filled with maze-like alleyways, open-air souks (markets), and the lively Jemaa el-Fnaa square.
Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen is famously known as the “Blue City,” its buildings are washed in striking shades of blue, tucked away in the Rif Mountains.
Sahara Desert (Merzouga)
Sahara Desert (Merzouga) is home to the iconic Erg Chebbi dunes, where travelers embark on camel treks and spend nights in traditional desert camps.
Fes el-Bali
Fes el-Bali is the world’s largest intact medieval old city, famous for its intense, historic leather tanneries.
Hassan II Mosque (Casablanca)
Hassan II Mosque (Casablanca) is one of the largest mosques in the world, featuring a 210-meter minaret overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Aït Benhaddou
Aït Benhaddou is an ancient, fortified clay city (ksar) that has served as a backdrop for Hollywood epics like Gladiator and Game of Thrones.
Todra Gorge
Todra Gorge (aka “Todgha Gorge”) is a spectacular, narrow canyon with sheer rock walls rising up to 300 meters, a paradise for hikers and rock climbers.
Essaouira
Essaouira is a laid-back, windy coastal port city featuring 18th-century sea ramparts and a thriving seafood scene.
Majorelle Garden
Majorelle Garden (aka “Jardin Majorelle”) is a beautifully designed botanical garden in Marrakesh, famously restored by fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent.
High Atlas Mountains
The High Atlas Mountains are home to Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak, which offers scenic Berber villages and alpine trekking.
2. Egypt
Egypt is synonymous with the dawn of human civilization. It’s a country that offers a bucket list of historical monuments and world-class resorts. Here are the top 10 tourist attractions in Egypt:
Pyramids of Giza & The Sphinx
The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx are the last standing wonders of the ancient world, breathtaking monuments that overlook the desert plateau just outside Cairo.
The Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings is the final resting place of Egypt’s New Kingdom Pharaohs, including Tutankhamun, hidden deep in the Luxor cliffs.
Karnak Temple Complex
The Karnak Temple Complex is a vast open-air creative mix of decayed temples, massive pylons, and the breathtaking Great Hypostyle Hall.
Abu Simbel
Two towering rock-cut temples built by Ramesses II, famous for being entirely relocated in the 1960s to save them from rising Nile waters.
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is a state-of-the-art facility housing the world’s most complete collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts.
Siwa Oasis
Siwa Oasis is a remote desert oasis near the Libyan border, famous for its salt pools, olive groves, and the Oracle of Ammon.
Khan el-Khalili
Khan el-Khalili is a famous historic bazaar in Islamic Cairo that has operated since the 14th century.
The White Desert
The White Desert is a surreal national park featuring massive, chalk-white rock formations carved by windstorms over centuries.
Ras Mohammed National Park
Ras Mohammed National Park is located at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, and it offers some of the world’s finest coral reef diving.
Aswan & The Nile Philae Temple
A scenic river landscape where visitors can sail traditional wooden feluccas to island temples.
South Africa
South Africa is one of the best countries in Africa to visit as a tourist. It provides an array of experiences: from rugged mountain ranges and legendary big-game safaris to world-famous coastal cities. Here are the top 10 best places to visit in South Africa:
Table Mountain
Table Mountain is the flat-topped mountain icon overlooking Cape Town, accessible via rotating cable cars or scenic hiking trails.
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s flagship game reserves, offering self-drive safaris to see the complete “Big Five” wildlife array.
Robben Island
Robben Island is the historic, isolated prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years incarcerated.
Boulders Beach
Boulders Beach is a protected coastal bay near Cape Town where visitors can walk alongside a wild colony of African Penguins.
The Blyde River Canyon
The Blyde River Canyon is one of the greenest and largest canyons on earth. It features the spectacular “Three Rondavels” rock formations.
Drakensberg Mountains
The Drakensberg is a breathtakingly rugged mountain range that offers excellent trekking trails and ancient San rock art.
Robberg Nature Reserve (The Garden Route)
Robberg Nature Reserve is a spectacular coastal preserve, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and national monument located on a rocky peninsula 8 kilometers south of Plettenberg Bay along South Africa’s iconic Garden Route. The Garden Route is a world-famous scenic driving route stretching along the lush, forested southeastern coast.
Soweto (Johannesburg)
Soweto is a historic township packed with heritage, featuring Vilakazi Street—the only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace Prize winners.
Cradle of Humankind
Cradle of Humankind is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a world-renowned paleoanthropological area that houses some of the oldest hominid fossils ever discovered.
Hermanus
Hermanus is globally celebrated as one of the world’s best land-based whale-watching spots, particularly for Southern Right whales.
