Morocco will be heading to North America next June. Thanks to a blistering start and strong finish in the African qualifiers, the Atlas Lions booked their ticket for the FIFA World Cup 26™ on Friday. To do so, they defeated Niger in Rabat 5-0 and took advantage of Tanzania’s slip-up earlier in the day in Congo (1-1).
Morocco’s qualification for the global showpiece was eagerly anticipated, not only by Moroccan fans, but also by supporters scattered across the globe who fell in love with the North African side during the last edition in Qatar. On that occasion, they overwhelmed Portugal in the quarter-finals, 1-0, to become the first African team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup. Though they were unable to get past France in the semi-finals in a 2-0 defeat, Walid Regragui’s men nevertheless made history with a memorable fourth-place finish.
With Regragui still at the helm, Morocco can now look forward to writing the next chapter of their great story in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
Thus far, the Atlas Lions have achieved a perfect record in qualifying, winning six matches out of six before a final clash with Congo in October. They defeated Tanzania (2-0) twice, Zambia (2-1), Congo (6-0) and Niger (2-1 and 5-0). With four goals, Ayoub El Kaabi finished as Morocco’s top scorer in these qualifiers.
The World Cup 26 will mark the Atlas Lions’ seventh appearance on football’s biggest stage, having made their debut at Mexico 1970. It is also the first time in history that Morocco have qualified for three World Cups in succession.
Morocco at the FIFA World Cup
First appearance: Mexico 1970
Appearances: 7 (1970, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2018, 2022, 2026)
Best result: Fourth-place (2022)
Image courtesy of Cafpix
