Morocco national football team

• 1. Introduction

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  The Morocco national football team played its very first game on the 22nd of December 1928, losing 2-1 to France's B team. Few could have predicted that nearly a century later, those same Atlas Lions would become the first African and Arab team ever to reach a World Cup semi-final. How did a side formed from the best players of a colonial-era domestic league transform into one of the most formidable footballing nations on earth? The answers stretch from a charity match in Paris to a record-breaking winning streak that rewrote the history books in 2025.

• 2. From Colony to Contender

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  On the 9th of September 1954, an earthquake devastated the Algerian region of Orléansville, killing 1,400 people. Within weeks, a combined Maghreb selection of Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians came together to play France in a charity match at the Parc des Princes in Paris, raising funds for the victims' families. Led by star Larbi Benbarek, the Maghreb side won 3-2, just one month before the Toussaint Rouge attacks that ignited the Algerian War.

  The Royal Moroccan Football Federation was established in 1955, at the close of a French protectorate that had lasted since 1912. Two years later, on the 19th of October 1957, Morocco made its debut as an independent nation at the second Arab Games in Lebanon, drawing 3-3 with Iraq at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium. They went on to defeat Libya 5-1 for their first-ever win, then beat Tunisia 3-1 to reach the semi-finals, before ultimately finishing fourth after a contentious draw with Syria was decided by lot.

  Morocco's first World Cup qualifying campaign came in 1960, and it immediately featured the kind of drama that would become a hallmark of the team's history. After drawing with Tunisia over two legs, a play-off in Palermo ended in a draw as well, so a coin toss settled who advanced. Morocco won, then defeated Ghana 1-0 on aggregate, before losing 4-2 on aggregate to Spain in the inter-continental play-offs. The lesson was clear: Morocco belonged on the world stage, even if qualifying for it would take more time.

• 3. The 1970 Breakthrough

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  On the 3rd of June 1970, in León, Mexico, Houmane Jarir scored in the 21st minute to put Morocco ahead of West Germany in their World Cup group opener. The goal was historic: no African side had ever led a World Cup match before. West Germany scored twice in the second half to win 2-1, and Morocco subsequently lost 3-0 to Peru, conceding three goals in ten minutes. But in the final group game on the 11th of June, Morocco drew 1-1 with Bulgaria. That single point made history as the first ever earned by an African team at the World Cup.

  Morocco had arrived at that tournament having already done something unprecedented. They became the first African team to qualify for the World Cup through a proper elimination tournament, entering qualifying under the Yugoslav coach Blagoje Vidinić. The squad was composed entirely of players from the Moroccan domestic league, including Driss Bamous and Ahmed Faras. Faras would go on to become Morocco's all-time top scorer with 36 goals in 94 appearances, a record that stood for decades.

  At the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations, Faras scored all three of Morocco's goals across three group stage draws against Congo, Sudan and Zaire. The team's continental ambitions were growing, even as their World Cup fortunes remained modest. Their 1974 qualifying campaign ended in extraordinary controversy: after filing a dismissed appeal over a disputed 3-0 loss to Zaire, Morocco withdrew from the competition entirely, causing FIFA to award their final match as a 2-0 walkover.

• 4. The 1976 Crown and the Golden Generation

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  At the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco were coached by the Romanian Virgil Mardărescu and captained by Ahmed Faras. In the final, Ahmed Makrouh scored to equalize at 1-1, a result that gave Morocco the championship in only their second appearance in the competition. It remained Morocco's only Africa Cup of Nations title for nearly five decades.

  A decade later came the golden generation. At the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Morocco topped a group containing Portugal, England and Poland, with two draws and a 3-1 win over Portugal. They became the first African and Arab side to advance from the World Cup group stage. Their run ended narrowly, eliminated by West Germany on a goal from Lothar Matthäus one minute from the end of regular time. The team was coached by Mehdi Faria and named African National Team of the Year in both 1985 and 1986.

  The following years brought setbacks alongside promise. Morocco hosted the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations as favourites and reached the semi-finals, only to be eliminated by Cameroon and finish fourth. They qualified for both the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, where they drew praise for their attacking style. Key players such as Mustapha Hadji, Noureddine Naybet and Salaheddine Bassir were central figures in that era. Naybet would go on to earn 115 caps, the most in Moroccan history. In April 1998, Morocco reached 10th in the FIFA World Rankings, their highest position at that point, and held the status of Africa's top-ranked team for three consecutive years from 1997 to 1999.

• 5. Qatar and the Semi-Final

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  After a 20-year absence, Morocco returned to the World Cup in 2018, drawn into a group with Spain, Portugal and Iran. They lost their first game 1-0 to an own goal against Iran in the final minutes, fell 1-0 to Portugal via a Cristiano Ronaldo goal, and then led Spain 2-1 through goals from Khalid Boutaïb and Youssef En-Nesyri before the match ended 2-2. Eliminated in the group stage, the journey had reignited belief.

  At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, that belief became history. Drawn in Group F with Croatia, Belgium and Canada, Morocco held Croatia to a 0-0 draw, defeated Belgium 2-0, then beat Canada 2-1 to finish top of the group. In the round of sixteen against Spain, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved two penalties in the shootout, and Achraf Hakimi scored the decisive kick with a panenka. In the quarter-final against Portugal, Youssef En-Nesyri's header produced the only goal in a 1-0 win.

  Morocco lost to France 2-0 in the semi-final on the 14th of December at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. They then faced Croatia again in the third-place match on the 17th of December at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al-Rayyan, losing 2-1 to finish fourth overall. In the aftermath, the squad donated their entire World Cup prize money to charities within Morocco supporting children and families affected by poverty. Walid Regragui, who had taken charge just months before the tournament, guided the side through that entire remarkable run.

• 6. Record Streak and AFCON 2025

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  In June 2024, Morocco began a winning streak that would eventually rewrite the record books. By October 2025, a 1-0 win over Congo in Rabat pushed the run past Spain's previous world record of 15 consecutive victories set between June 2008 and June 2009. The streak ultimately reached 19 consecutive wins across all competitions before ending with a draw in December 2025.

  Morocco also hosted the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, advancing through the group stage and knockout rounds to reach the final for the first time in two decades. In the final against Senegal, Brahim Díaz's penalty was saved, and Senegal scored the only goal in extra time. It appeared the trophy had gone. But on the 17th of March 2026, the CAF Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match after temporarily leaving the pitch in protest of a refereeing decision. Under articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations, the result was overturned to a 3-0 victory for Morocco, awarding them the title of 2025 Africa Cup of Nations champions.

  With the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup also claimed that year, defeating Jordan 3-2 after extra time, Morocco now holds five continental titles in total: the 1976 and 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, plus the African Nations Championship in 2018-2020 and 2024. Ayoub El Kaabi, who captained the 2020 CHAN victory, has since risen to second on the all-time scorer list with 34 goals from 69 appearances, closing on Ahmed Faras's record of 36.

• 7. Road to 2030

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  Morocco is set to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Portugal and Spain, making it the second African nation, the second MENA nation and the first North African nation to host the tournament. The team trains at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé and plays most home matches at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

  The squad preparing for the 2026 World Cup includes Achraf Hakimi with 95 caps and 11 goals, Youssef En-Nesyri with 92 caps and 25 goals, and Yassine Bounou with 89 appearances in goal. Puma has served as kit supplier since 2019. The current head coach Mohamed Ouahbi took charge in 2026, with former Liverpool assistant João Sacramento among his backroom staff. As a co-host of 2030, Morocco will take the field in front of their own supporters on the World Cup stage for the first time, carrying the weight of all that history to that point.