Brazilian great Pele once famously predicted that an African nation will win the FIFA World Cup before the year 2000. Well, it hasn't happened, and we're in 2018 already. Pele's predictions usually do work as a kiss of death, but it's not like the African sides haven't had the potential to reach the heights the three-time world champion predicted. Five nations will be looking to fulfill that potential at the 2018 FIFA World Cup - Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Senegal.

Through the years, only three African teams have made it to the quarter-finals. Cameroon, led by the magnificent Roger Milla, was the first side to do it in 1990, Senegal made it their during their unbelievable debut in 2002 and Ghana was the last team to get that far in 2010.

Powered by Asamoah Gyan and his three goals, Ghana actually weren't far off from becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals, as Uruguay beat the Black Stars only on penalties at the quarter-finals stage in a scandalous match, which will be remembered forever for Luis Suarez's deliberate handball in the final moments of extra-time. Gyan had a chance to make history, but he hit the bar with his penalty and Ghana didn't have any luck in the shootout either, losing 4-2.

Cameroon and Senegal had their close calls as well, with both losing in extra-time, as a Gary Lineker penalty sent England through in 1990 and a sudden death goal deciding Senegal's matchup with Turkey 12 years later.

But how much bad luck can one continent have? Isn't it time to change that? The five teams in 2018 will certainly be hoping that it's possible Although, the last World Cup in 2014 wasn't a good one for Africa, with only two teams from five making it through from the group stage.

Africa could bounce back strong in the 2018 edition though, as there's plenty of excitement surrounding multiple teams.

Egypt find themselves in a pretty tough group, playing alongside Russia and Uruguay, but with Mo Salah in the side, anything should be possible. There are other Premier League players such as Mohamed Elneny and Ramadan Sobhi in the side as well, so there's some good quality, and the manager isn't bad either.

The Pharaohs are led by former Valencia and Inter boss Hector Cuper, who's made the side tough to break down. Since the start of 2016, there have been only four games in which Egypt have conceded more than once. Playing at the World Cup will, of course, offer a much more difficult challenge for them, but Cuper's team almost recorded a clean sheet in a March friendly against Portugal before Cristiano Ronaldo came to the rescue in injury time, so they have shown that they can do it at the highest level. If they manage to keep it tight in Russia as well, Egypt will have a chance of winning any game as long as Salah stays healthy.

Morocco, managed by Herve Renard, is another solid defensive unit that could cause opponents plenty of headaches. The Atlas Lions were the only side in Africa to finish the final qualifying stage without conceding a single goal. And it's not like they had an easy ride, as Morocco beat out Ivory Coast, Gabon, and Mali in their group, finishing with a +11 goal difference.

Renard led Zambia to a surprising African Cup of Nations victory in 2012, so he knows how to do well as an underdog. Zambia also relied heavily on defense, as they conceded only three goals throughout the tournament. The opposition will be a lot tougher at the World Cup, but if the Moroccans can neutralize someone like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over two games, then there's no reason to doubt their ability to match anyone that crosses their path.

Senegal will also be confident that they can beat anyone on their day. The Lions of Terang have been underachieving for a long time, as they've always had plenty of talent, but things simply haven't worked out for them as a team. Manager Aliou Cisse can change that trend.

Cisse captained the nation in 2002, with teamwork and spirit being the main strength behind Senegal's great run at their first ever World Cup. Looking back, considering how well they played, it's actually amazing that Senegal had to wait until 2018 for their next World Cup appearance, and they haven't done anything at the continental championship either, even crashing out at the group stage three times.

Senegal conceded in only two games during the final qualification round, so they now seem to have found some stability at the back, which will complement their impressive attack. Sadio Mane will draw the most attention, but the likes of Keita Balde and Moussa Sow have also proved themselves in top European football. Group H looks wide-open on paper and if Senegal can pick up even some more confidence from winning their group, then who knows what might happen in the knockout stages.

Nigeria are the most experienced African side in Russia, as they will be making their third consecutive World Cup appearance, and maybe they also allow themselves to dream of winning the group. After all, the Super Eagles beat Argentina 4-2 the last time the two nations met in November 2017. It was a massive result for manager Gernot Rohr and his side, even though it wasn't a full-strength Argentina team they faced.

Rohr is relatively unknown in European football, as he hasn't worked on the continent for nearly 10 years and his previous work in Africa hasn't been anything special either, but he and Nigeria seem to be like a perfect match. The team has lost only six times since the 64-year-old German was hired in August 2016.

Tunisia look like the weakest of the five African teams, but after waiting 12 years to get another chance at the World Cup, they certainly won't lie down easily. Defensive football seems to be trending in Africa at the moment and Tunisia are another one who rely on keeping clean sheets. Manager Nabil Maaloul doesn't have a lot of attacking talent at his disposal, so you can't blame him for the approach either.

The Eagles of Carthage headed into the pre-tournament warm-up games with three consecutive clean sheets, which is a sign that Maaloul's conservative tactics seem to be working. The likes of Wahbi Khazri and Saif-Eddine Khaoui are tricky flair players, so maybe Tunisia aren't simply there to just make up the numbers in Group G after all.

I'm not going to be like Pele and predict Africa to finally get their first World Cup triumph, but don't be surprised to see multiple teams from the Dark Continent do very well at the competition. At least, they are set up to do a lot better than four years ago.