Morocco

Morocco at the World Cup 2026

Morocco arrive at the 2026 World Cup as the most-respected African side at any World Cup since the Cameroon team of 1990. The 2022 semi-final run — beating Spain on penalties, Portugal in normal time, and pushing France to the limit before losing 2-0 — reset the global perception of what an African side can achieve. The spine of that team is largely intact: Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal), Sofyan Amrabat (Fenerbahçe), Nayef Aguerd (Real Sociedad on loan), captain Romain Saïss, and creative midfielder Azzedine Ounahi.

Walid Regragui remains in charge — the coach who took over just three months before Qatar 2022 and delivered the semi-final. His tactical setup is a flexible 4-3-3 that switches to a 5-4-1 mid-block out of possession; the Hakimi-on-the-right-flank piston combined with Mazraoui's overlapping runs from left-back is the distinctive structural feature.

The 2026 squad adds depth on the wings. Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid) chose Morocco over Spain in 2024 and is now the creative No. 10 alternative to Ziyech. Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Real Betis) and Bilal El Khannouss (Leicester) provide further attacking options. Up front, Youssef En-Nesyri (Fenerbahçe) and Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos, when fit) lead the line.

Group C contains Brazil, Scotland and Haiti. Brazil are the favourites; Morocco are second favourites at consensus 1.85 to finish in the top two. Their realistic ceiling is a return to the semi-finals; the credible bottom is a Round of 16 exit. Outright tournament price 51.0 — the most-backed African nation by a clear margin.

Group C fixtures

All three group-stage matches for Morocco at World Cup 2026 with current odds from our partner books.

Squad & predicted XI

Bounou · Hakimi, Aguerd, Saïss, Mazraoui · Amrabat, Ounahi, Diaz · Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Ezzalzouli

Formation: 4-3-3 · Coach: Walid Regragui

How Morocco qualified for World Cup 2026

Morocco qualified directly through CAF Group E, finishing top of a six-team group containing Tanzania, Niger, Zambia, Congo and Eritrea. Eight wins, two draws, no defeats. Sealed the group with two matchdays to spare in October 2025 via a 3-0 home win over Zambia.

Hakimi finished as the squad's leading scorer in qualifying with 6 goals, mostly from set-piece routines and one penalty. En-Nesyri added 5. The standout match was a 4-0 away result in Tanzania in March 2025 — a fixture that has frustrated other CAF qualifiers — with Ziyech, Diaz, En-Nesyri and Ezzalzouli all on the scoresheet.

Regragui rotated heavily across the campaign, giving qualifying minutes to Bilal Nadir, Chemsedine Taibi, Hamza Igamane and Omar El Hilali — the four new faces in the senior pool. The bench depth heading into 2026 is genuinely stronger than the Qatar 2022 cycle, which was the explicit Regragui goal.

World Cup history

Morocco have appeared at six previous World Cups. Best finish: fourth place at Qatar 2022, the first African nation ever to reach a World Cup semi-final. They also reached the Round of 16 at Mexico 1986 (the first African team to qualify from the group stage in a 16-team knockout) and at Russia 2018, where they exited in the group stage despite three close results. The 2022 run beat 1986 in Belgium, 2010 in Ghana and 1990 in Cameroon as the defining African campaign in World Cup history.

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