Morocco arrive at the first 48-team World Cup as Africa's highest-ranked side in the Fifa standings. In the second of a nine-part series on African squads at the tournament, RFI profiles a nation making its seventh World Cup appearance.
Issued on: 02/06/2026 - 14:54Modified: 02/06/2026 - 14:54
3 min Reading time
According to the Confederation of African Football (Caf), which oversees the sport on the continent, Morocco will go into the 2026 World Cup as African champions. The match sheet from the Africa Cup of Nations final at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat on 18 January 2026 shows that Senegal won the game 1-0. But after an appeal over Senegalese players leaving the pitch towards the end of the 90 minutes and delaying the game for 15 minutes, Caf's appeals committee awarded the match to Morocco. Senegal are contesting that ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.. Historic run in Qatar Morocco's achievement as the first African side to reach the World Cup semi-finals is not in dispute. They reached the last four at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, beating Spain on penalties in the round of 16 and defeating a disjointed Portugal side 1-0 in the quarter-finals. France ended their run 2-0 at the Al Bayt Stadium. Hakimi returns as Morocco stroll into last 16 at Africa Cup of Nations Walid Regragui, the coach who oversaw that campaign, stood down in March and was replaced by Mohamed Ouahbi, who had led the under-20 squad to the World Cup title in October 2025. Ouahbi has retained 17 players from the 2025 Cup of Nations squad. The teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi is among the nine who did not feature at that tournament. The 18-year-old midfielder was a notable performer as Lille qualified for the 2026/27 Champions League after finishing third in Ligue 1. Born just outside Paris to Moroccan parents, he represented France at youth level before choosing to play for Morocco. 'No special treatment' "We weren't in competition with France for him," said Ouahbi when he unveiled his 26-man squad. "Ayyoub showed a lot of maturity in making his decision. "I haven't given anyone special treatment," Ouahbi added. "We tried to be as objective as possible in putting this list together. I made my decisions with my staff, without letting emotions get in the way. We look at form and what is best for the team." Morocco win 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after organisers strip title from Senegal In their opening game on 13 June, Morocco, eighth in Fifa's world rankings, will face Brazil at the MetLife Stadium. Six days later they play Scotland just outside Boston, before concluding their Group C campaign against Haiti on 24 June in Atlanta. Morocco's World Cup history Morocco also hold a notable place in World Cup history as the first African side to qualify through a dedicated African qualifying zone. Before their debut at the 1970 tournament in Mexico, African teams had to compete for a single spot alongside sides from Asia and Oceania, requiring them to win African qualifying rounds and then overcome Asian opposition in play-offs. African football boss defends ruling that gave Cup of Nations title to Morocco At that first appearance, Morocco were eliminated at the group stage following defeats to West Germany — beaten finalists in 1966 — and Peru, with a draw against Bulgaria concluding their campaign. At the 1986 tournament they went out in the round of 16 to West Germany, and there were group stage exits in 1994, 1998 and 2018 before the run to the semi-finals in 2022. More African sides, new rules With the first 48-team World Cup, African representation has expanded significantly. Morocco will be joined by Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Tunisia, South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire and Cape Verde, all of whom won their groups in African qualifying. The Democratic Republic of Congo brought the total to 10 after coming through an African play-off against Cameroon and Nigeria, then beating Jamaica in the inter-confederation play-off. "Morocco has a large talent pool, which is good for the country and for football, but it also makes the coach's job more difficult," said Ouahbi. "We are going to the World Cup with a great deal of ambition."
