Morocco compete in Group Three of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Record:
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Best World Cup finish: Semi-finals (2022)
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AFCON winners in 1976 and 2025 (the 2025 title is pending ratification by the Court of Arbitration for Sport following a Senegal appeal)
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Last World Cup appearance: 2022
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FIFA ranking: 8
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Nickname: Atlas Lions
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Top clubs: Wydad Casablanca, Raja Casablanca, FAR Rabat
Qualification: Morocco swept through qualifying with ease, winning all eight of their group matches, scoring 22 goals and conceding just two. A very comfortable path to the finals.
Coach: Following Walid Regragui's resignation after the contentious and disputed win over Senegal in the AFCON final in January, the federation turned to Mohammed Wahhabi as his replacement, on the strength of his impressive work with the under-20 side — which he guided to the 2025 World Youth title, beating Argentina in the final. In his first two matches, friendly draws against Ecuador (1–1) and Paraguay (2–1), he called up several of those young players, including promising striker Yassine Jassim, who is named in the 2026 World Cup squad. Wahhabi, who came through the coaching ranks at Anderlecht's youth academy in Belgium, aims to instil a more attacking style than his predecessor. "We cannot go into the next World Cup thinking only about defending," he said. "We have a generation with enormous technical talent and we have to use it."
Star player: Right back Achraf Hakimi is the most prominent leader in this group, and also wears the captain's armband. Named African Player of the Year, and an indispensable figure at PSG — where he was chasing back-to-back Champions League titles — the 27-year-old is relentless on both flanks, capable of scoring and creating as much as defending. A product of Real Madrid, who passed through Dortmund and Inter Milan, Hakimi has also been in the public eye off the pitch in recent months, after being referred to criminal court on a rape allegation dating to 2023, which he denies.
Ambitions: Replicating the unexpected semi-final run in Qatar 2022 will be difficult, but with a talented young generation that includes attacking midfielders Brahim Díaz (26, Real Madrid) and Ayoub El Aynaoui (18, Lille) — who recently chose Morocco over France's Olympic team — the Atlas Lions can challenge Brazil for top spot in Group Three. Who knows, perhaps they can continue their role as a "giant-killer" in later rounds.