Can Morocco trump its 2022 success in the 2026 World Cup?

After the Atlas Lions stole the show at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, becoming the first Arab and African team to reach the semi-finals, Morocco enters the 2026 edition with aspirations that extend far beyond repeating their historic achievement.

Having transformed from the tournament’s surprise package to one of the world’s leading teams, Morocco now faces a new test: was their Qatar triumph a one-off, exceptional moment, or the beginning of a new era for Moroccan football?

Morocco face Brazil in first World Cup game

Since the end of the Qatar World Cup, Morocco has continued its path of development and technical stability. The team has maintained its core structure while integrating promising young players who have strengthened the squad’s depth. As a result, the team has become one of the best in the world in the FIFA rankings, confirming that its success in 2022 was no fluke.

Morocco still relies on a group of key players who made the achievement in Qatar, led by captain Achraf Hakimi, alongside Nayef Aguerd, Noussair Mazraoui, Sofyan Amrabat and Azzedine Ounahi.

Brahim Diaz is one of the most prominent attacking weapons thanks to his ability to make a difference and add individual solutions in the final third.

But the most significant difference between the 2022 and 2026 World Cups lies in the emergence of a new generation of young talents, giving the national team wider options and more diverse solutions.

A mix of experience and youth

Among these names are Ayyoub Bouaddi, one of the most promising young talents in European football. There is also Bilal El Khannous, who has established himself as one of the team’s key midfielders, as well as Chamseddine Talbi and Ismail Sibaari, who add considerable dynamism and speed to the forward line.

In contrast, the squad is missing some names that were present in Qatar’s achievement, most notably Youssef En-Nesyri, Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal, who represent the end of one phase and the beginning of another that relies more on young players seeking to write their own history.

Realism and ambition

The new format of the World Cup, featuring 48 teams, gives stronger teams a better chance of advancing from the group stage, but the competition will become much tougher in the knockout rounds. Therefore, reaching the quarter-finals seems a realistic goal for Morocco, given the quality of the squad and the experience players have gained in recent years.

Repeating or even surpassing the semi-final achievement will require a combination of consistent performance, mental fortitude, and a bit of luck against top teams. While Morocco may not possess a single ‘superstar’ who can consistently decide matches, they compensate with a cohesive team structure and tactical flexibility that make them a formidable opponent for any national team in the world.

A project that goes beyond results

Morocco is no longer merely a representative of Arab and African football at the World Cup; it has transformed into a comprehensive sporting model based on planning, stability and investment in talent. The Moroccan experience has proven that competing with the world’s best is no longer a distant dream, but an achievable goal when vision and sound management are in place.

Whether the Atlas Lions succeed in repeating or surpassing the achievement of 2022, their participation in the 2026 World Cup will remain an important milestone in the rise of Moroccan and Arab football. It is also a new opportunity to prove that what happened in Qatar was not a passing exception but rather the beginning of a new chapter in history.

Featured image via Alex Livesey/ Getty Images