Morocco will be looking to eclipse their stunning 2022 performance, where they reached the semi-finals after beating Spain and Portugal. That was just the second time the African nation had made it out of the group stage of a World Cup and represented a real shift in level for the Atlas Lions.
They will also be looking to build on their successful, albeit controversial, AFCON campaign, which saw them crowned as winners. Mohamed Ouahbi has a talented group of players to select from as they look to become the first African nation to be crowned world champions.
Get all the latest Morocco stats as the tournament unfolds plus the latest squad, manager and fixture information for the African side here.
Morocco route to the World Cup
Morocco were able to secure their place at the 2026 World Cup with the upmost ease, finishing top of Caf qualifying group E with a 100% record. They scored 22 goals in eight games and conceded just twice.
Their standout performance came against Niger, the side that finished in second place, where they won 5-0 thanks to goals from Ismael Saibari, Ayoub El Kaabi, Hamza Igamane and Azzedine Ounahi.
Morocco World Cup 2026 fixtures
Morocco have been drawn into Group C at the 2026 World Cup. Their toughest test comes in their first match when they take on Brazil in a rematch from their 1998 encounter which saw Brazil run out 3-0 winners.
Scotland are their next opponents in a match that could determine who makes it out of Group C. Interestingly, these two sides also met at World Cup 1998, with the three sides drawn into the same group once more. Morocco’s group stage campaign comes to an end when they face the minnows of Haiti in the first ever meeting between the two nations.
READ MORE: Get the latest Morocco World Cup 2026 outright odds here
Morocco key players for World Cup 2026
Morocco top World Cup Golden Boot contender: Ayoub El Kaabi
- Key stat: Ayoud El Kaabi scored three times in six appearances at Afcon and four times in just six appearances (including four from the bench) in World Cup qualifying
Ayoub El Kaabi’s impressive form for Olympiakos seems to have propelled him into the first-choice plans for Morocco. He repaid boss Walid Regragui’s faith in him at Afcon with three goals in his six starts and he’s much more prolific at international level than Youssef En Nesyri, scoring 20 times in his 54 appearances for his country. With 12 goals in 14 Super League appearances this season at the time of writing, the 32 year old’s goalscoring form is hard to ignore. He should remain as first-choice even after Regragui’s departure as first-team coach.
Morocco primary playmaker: Achraf Hakimi
- Key stat: Only two players at Afcon 2025 created more chances than Achraf Hakimi’s total of 13
Achraf Hakimi has cemented his position as one of the best full-backs in the world in the last few seasons and as the captain and star player of this Morocco team, he’ll be expected to contribute as much going forward as he does defensively. The PSG man saves his best form for the biggest games, racking up eight assists in his last 21 Champions League games for les Parisiens and starring in his side’s run to the trophy in 2024/25 – so expect big things from him at this summer’s World Cup.
Morocco card magnets & top tacklers: Noussair Mazraoui
- Key stat: Egypt’s Yasser Ibrahim was the only player to win more tackles than Noussair Mazraoui at Afcon 2025 with the Moroccan winning 23 tackles in 628 minutes played.
Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui is a key member of this Moroccan side and he was in fine defensive form in his side’s run to the Afcon final with 3.3 tackles won per 90 minutes. He was equally important in winning the ball back for his team during the run to the 2022 World Cup finals where he averaged 2.8 tackles per 90. Look at him for the tackle markets rather than cards though – he has never been carded in 16 games at Afcon or World Cup finals tournaments.
Morocco rising star: Chemsdine Talbi
Key stat: Chemsdine Talbi became the fourth-youngest player in history to score a brace in the Champions League when he scored twice in Club Brugge’s 3-1 win over Atalanta in February 2025.
Morocco are lucky enough to be blessed with a crop of very talented, exciting young players – but the likes of Eliesse Ben Seghir (20 caps at 20 years old) and Bilal El Khannouss (31 caps at 21 years old) are already well established. Chemsdine Talbi has just three caps so far but has put in some eye-catching performances at Sunderland this season, even chipping in with goals against both Liverpool and Chelsea. He could be an intriguing option from the bench this summer.
STAND-OUT STAT: Morocco’s fourth place in 2022 marked the highest finish by any African nation in the tournament’s history.
Morocco set-piece specialists
- Penalties: Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz
- Free kicks: Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz
- Corners: Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz
Morocco tactical analysis and formation
Morocco team stats from qualifying:
- Corners: 41
- Shots on target: 4.9 per match
- Shots conceded: 3.4 per match
Walid Regragui was never particularly wedded to a specific formation during his time as Morocco manager and with the array of options he has at his disposal, it’s unsurprising that he tended to favour a fluid approach and we expect that to continue under his replaced Mohamed Ouahbi.
Defensively, Yassine Bounou (also known as Bono) appears to be first-choice goalkeeper now, while Noussair Mazraoui and Achraf Hakimi are as close as you will get to nailed-on starters at full-back. Adam Masina is favourite to partner Nayef Aguerd at centre back.
The midfield is capable of taking many different shapes, but if a sitting midfielder is deployed expect it to be Sofyan Amrabat, with the likes of Bilal El Khannous, Azzedine Ounahi and Ismael Saibari fighting it out to start ahead of the Real Betis man.
Brahim Diaz will likely be trusted to get over his Afcon final heartbreak to start on the right with Ayoub El Kaabi seemingly first-choice at centre-forward over Youssef En-Nesyri now. Eliesse Ben Seghir will hope to oust out Abde Ezzalzouli to get a start in the front three.
Get the latest Morocco World Cup goals, assists, shots, passes and tackle stats here
Morocco manager analysis
Morocco have been forced into a managerial change not long before the tournament with Walid Regragui stepping down from the job in March 2026.
An adaptable and likeable presence, Regragui took the Atlas Lions to the semi-final stage of the last World Cup and were awarded the 2025 AFCON championship in controversial circumstances.
The 50 year old has since been replaced by former U23 head coach Mohamed Ouahbi, so it seems like Morocco are looking for stability and continuity with this hire but in reality, the 49 year old is something of an unknown.
The Belgian-born coach has spent the majority of his career with Anderlecht’s youth teams before taking the Morocco U20 job in 2022 and being promoted to the U23 position last year – but he was never a professional player and this is his first role as head coach of a first team.
The stats below are from his current spell in charge of the team.
| Coach | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Ouahbi | Morocco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
Morocco World Cup FAQs
Have Morocco ever won the World Cup?
No, Morocco have never won the World Cup. Their 2022 semi-final finish was the best finish of any African side in history and also of any Arab side in history.
Where did Morocco finish in the last World Cup?
Morocco reached the final four stage of the last World Cup, beating Portugal and Spain in the knock-out stages before losing 2-0 to France. They lost the third place play-off to Croatia by a 2-1 scoreline.
Who will be Morocco captain at the World Cup?
Achraf Hakimi, captain of 2024/25 Champions League winners PSG, is the current captain of the Moroccan national team. Former Wolves man Roman Saiss is often named as vice captain.
Who is Morocco’s top scorer at World Cups?
In 2022, Youssef En-Nesyri and Hakim Ziyech became the first two players to score in two different World Cups for Morocco having both scored in 2018. En-Nesyri’s two goals at the last World Cup take his total to three – more than any other Moroccan player in World Cup history.
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