From World Cup Underdogs to Genuine Contenders? Morocco Have to Handle Expectation Following Evolution | OneFootball

Following their 2022 journey that ended in a historic fourth-place finish, Morocco chose not to rest on their laurels. Instead, they head into the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a fresh squad and a reinvented ethos.

It was impossible to ignore Morocco’s journey at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. After surprising Portugal in the quarter-finals, they became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the men’s tournament.

Sensationally, they collected three wins at the 2022 finals, more than in their previous 16 matches combined in the competition across five editions.

The Atlas Lions relied heavily on their defensive solidarity to achieve this resounding feat, conceding only once on the way to the semis, and even that was an own goal scored in Canada’s favour.

Walid Regragui’s men capitalized on a minimalist style of play, forcing opponents to break themselves against a compact block before catching them out with direct play.

In the round of 16, Spain recorded over 1,000 touches without managing more than one shot on target in a 0-0 draw, before Morocco knocked them out on penalties. Portugal also proved vulnerable to Morocco’s rapid transitions in the next round, with the aerial prowess of star striker Youssef En-Nesyri particularly effective during the 1-0 victory.

While playing the same tune remains an option, Morocco, who are ranked eighth in the world in the latest edition of the FIFA rankings, might be tempted to adopt a more innovative approach for the 2026 World Cup. The pillars of 2022 are still present – Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui – but they now benefit from a promising, more creativity-driven new generation, notably represented by Brahim Díaz, Neil El Aynaoui, and Abde Ezzalzouli.

Morocco have utilized every available resource to build this talent pool, blending national scouting with the integration of foreign-born players. They also rely on a generation that has tasted success with the youth national teams: victory at the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations in 2023, a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and triumph at the U20 FIFA World Cup in 2025.

In fact, the manager of that U20 squad, Mohamed Ouahbi, took the reins of the senior team earlier this year, following Regragui’s resignation after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

During his triumph in Chile last autumn, Ouahbi partially replicated the pragmatic principles his predecessor had applied in Qatar.

His U20 side averaged one of the lowest possession rates in the tournament (36%) and had just 25% possession in their 2-0 final win against Argentina. They liked to sit deep, starting their open-play sequences just 38 metres from their own goal, with only international minnows New Caledonia closer to their own goal line. Those averages were even lower than those of the senior team at the 2022 World Cup (37.8% possession, 40.2m sequence starting height).

Morocco are likely to express themselves through a more proactive style of play this summer, though, especially if the 2025 AFCON is anything to go by. Playing on home soil, Morocco entered the tournament as heavy favourites and lived up to expectations, even though their title came with much controversy; losing the final against Senegal before being awarded the victory in court two months later.

Beyond the legal disputes, several on-pitch metrics highlighted Morocco’s attacking intent during the tournament. They recorded more touches in the opposition box than any other team (201) and attempted the joint-most shots in the competition (108), though obviously they played more games than most other teams. The biggest difference to their 2022 World Cup run, however, was their willingness to play on the front foot.

Unlike in Qatar three years prior, Morocco started open-play sequences furthest from their own goal (46m), pressing opponents high up the pitch to win possession back. Only Nigeria (58) made more high turnovers than the Atlas Lions (52), but crucially 12 of those led to a shot on goal – the highest tally at AFCON 2025. That tally was three times as many as they managed at the 2022 World Cup (4) in the same number of games (7).

This more adventurous approach did not affect Morocco defensively, as they conceded the fewest shots per match in the tournament (5.6). Nevertheless, tasting their own medicine, Morocco sometimes lacked imagination when facing low blocks.

This was evident in their round-of-16 clash against Tanzania (1-0), particularly in the first half where they failed to register a single shot on target despite enjoying 72% possession and 17 touches in the opposition penalty area.

Having been the manager of that successful U20 side, it’s hardly a surprise that Morocco’s World Cup squad is full of younger players. Of the 23 outfielders in their 26-man squad, just one – forward Ayoub El Kaabi (32) – is aged over 30, while eight are 23 years old or younger.

Real Madrid’s Díaz was a standout star for Morocco during their brilliant AFCON 2025 run, following up his excellent qualification campaign for the tournament. Much was expected of him following seven goals in qualifying, and he followed it up as top scorer with five goals in the finals. Across this century, only Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar (8 in 2021) has scored more at a single AFCON tournament.

Beyond his goalscoring feats, Díaz menaced opposition defences with his direct running, with a tournament high 42 take-ons. At first glance, his take-on success rate of 21.4% may seem poor, but a lot of his take-ons ended with the opponent having to foul him to stop him, with Díaz winning more fouls both overall (20) and in the final third of the pitch (10) than any other player at the tournament.

In either system, Morocco can rely on captain Hakimi. The Paris Saint-Germain right-back remains their primary playmaker. During the knockout phase of the 2025 AFCON, he ranked second for chances created (13) and expected assists (1.05 xA).

At the 2022 World Cup, he was already eager to push forward more than his teammates, recording the most touches in the opposition box for Morocco (14). They are now less dependent on their right flank than in 2022 though, when 46% of their attacks originated from that side. The left is now equally highlighted by players like Ezzalzouli, who registered the most touches in the opposition box during the AFCON final against Senegal five months ago (9).

The Moroccan midfield has also evolved. While Selim Amallah has not been called up since 2024, Azzedine Ounahi and Sofyan Amrabat are now supported by El Aynaoui.

The Roma midfielder only made his international debut last September but has quickly become indispensable to coach Ouahbi, playing more minutes (1,410) than any other outfield player for Morocco since August 2025.

Most often deployed as a defensive midfielder, he switches play to the wings with high accuracy (90.1% successful passes during the AFCON, 94% in the final against Senegal) and leverages his incredible work rate, ranking fifth for the most high pressures applied (258).

The Moroccan squad has undergone significant transformation in just a few months, but the young group called up by Ouahbi – nurtured on the epic runs of recent years – will be far more experienced than they appear.

The Atlas Lions now possess a much broader tactical repertoire than in 2022. Their group games against Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti will offer a perfect opportunity to witness all the nuances of this versatile palette.

Morocco certainly have the means to match their high ambitions for this summer: according to the Opta supercomputer they have an 88.8% chance of advancing from their group, and a 10.3% chance of reaching the final four once again. We wait to see if they can handle the pressure of expectation this time around.

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