Morocco at the World Cup: A Landmark Run

In 92 years of World Cups, and more than 49 attempts by African nations, only one team has reached the semi-finals: Morocco in 2022.

And they did it with just 27% of the ball in the game that knocked out Portugal. That wasn’t luck — it was a carefully built plan, the story of a team that changed what “underdog” means.

For the bigger picture of why minnows keep closing on the giants, read are minnows toppling giants more often — this piece is about Morocco alone.

The short version (20 seconds)

• Fourth place in 2022 — the first African nation to reach a semi-final
• The path: topped Group F → beat Spain (on penalties) → beat Portugal 1-0 → lost to France in the semis
• A landmark defence: Bono kept 3 clean sheets (a first for an African keeper), zero open-play goals conceded through the quarters
• A diaspora squad — 14 of 26 born abroad, the most of any 2022 team
• 2026: a record-high FIFA ranking of 7th, but a new coach in Ouahbi (as of June 2026)

The 2022 run — step by step

Round	Opponent	Result
Group F	Croatia	Drew 0-0
Group F	Belgium	Won 2-0
Group F	Canada	Won 2-1
Round of 16	Spain	Drew 0-0 (won 3-0 on pens)
Quarter-final	Portugal	Won 1-0
Semi-final	France	Lost 0-2
Third place	Croatia	Lost 1-2

Morocco topped a Group F that held Croatia (2018 runners-up) and a Belgium side ranked 2nd in the world, without losing a game (Olympics.com). They then knocked out Spain on penalties — Bono saved two and Achraf Hakimi chipped a Panenka to win it — before beating Portugal 1-0 through a Youssef En-Nesyri header to become the first African nation ever to reach a semi-final (ESPN).

Why it worked — not luck

The numbers show a planned defence, not a fluke. Morocco gave up possession (just 27% against Portugal) to shut down shooting space, with Sofyan Amrabat as the lone pivot doing the most work of any player in the tournament — the only one to register over 5 tackles, 5 interceptions, 5 clearances and 5 fouls won (Opta Analyst).

More remarkable still: goalkeeper Yassine “Bono” Bounou kept 3 clean sheets, the first African keeper to do so in a single World Cup, and through the first four matches Morocco conceded zero open-play goals — the only goal against them was their own own-goal against Canada.

The diaspora squad — the structural story

The other thing that made Morocco special was the team’s identity. Of 26 players, 14 were born abroad (in Spain, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and Canada) — the most of any 2022 team — and around 20 played in Europe’s top leagues (Oxford COMPAS). Even coach Walid Regragui is a French-Moroccan who took the job just 81 days before the tournament.

Compare that with 1998, when Morocco had only 2 foreign-born players — this is a policy story about bringing the diaspora home, not just squad depth. Regragui put it plainly: “Today, we have shown that every Moroccan is Moroccan.”

Before 2022 — roots in 1986

The 2022 run didn’t come from nowhere. Morocco was the first African and Arab nation to get past the first round, back at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico — topping a group with England and Poland (beating Portugal 3-1) before losing 0-1 to West Germany on a Matthäus goal in the 87th minute of the round of 16.

Across all editions through 2022, Morocco played six World Cups: P23, W5, D7, L11 — an ordinary record, until 2022 changed everything.

Morocco in 2026

⚠️ 2026 figures can change during the tournament — the numbers below are as of June 2026; verify before relying on them.

• 7th in the FIFA ranking (as of 11 June 2026), their highest ever, and the first African side seeded in Pot 2 at a World Cup draw (elbotola/FIFA)
• Group C with Brazil, Scotland and Haiti — opening against Brazil on 13 June (see which group is toughest in the real Group of Death)
• A new coach — Regragui stepped down on 5 March 2026 (Reuters), replaced by Mohamed Ouahbi, who had just led the U-20s to the 2025 World Cup title
• Nine survivors from 2022 — Hakimi, En-Nesyri, Bono and Amrabat remain core; Hakim Ziyech has not returned to the squad

The takeaway — from outsider to a continent’s benchmark

Morocco 2022 wasn’t a fairy-tale fluke. It was the product of a planned defence, a diaspora squad raised in big leagues, and a long-term policy that carried through to the 2025 U-20 world title. In 2026 they arrive ranked 7th in the world — no longer a dark horse, but the new benchmark for African football.

Read on:

1. Why minnows keep closing the gap, in are minnows toppling giants more often
2. How tough Morocco’s Group C is, in the real Group of Death
3. Why host advantage has faded, in World Cup host advantage and 2026
4. Scan every team’s ranking and form on the teams page

In 2022, Morocco proved how far an African nation could go. In 2026, the question shifts from “can they go far” to “can they go even further.”