From AFCON to World Cup 2026: How Morocco became a football powerhouse
Key takeaways
- Morocco’s success is built on an effective strategy, but there has been some upheaval in the run-up to the World Cup.
- Even more impressive is that the Atlas Lions’ success is not limited to the senior men’s national team but has been spread across every age group and category.
- Morocco are currently the 2025 AFCON champions, albeit after Senegal were stripped of the title.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Morocco’s success is built on an effective strategy, but there has been some upheaval in the run-up to the World Cup.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Brahim Diaz is a key player in a talented Morocco side [File: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]By Maher Mezahi Published On 31 May 202631 May 2026In a couple of decades, Morocco went from being regularly eliminated in the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and failing to qualify for several successive World Cups to sitting inside the top 10 of the FIFA men’s rankings, reaching the semifinals at the Qatar World Cup in 2022 and being considered credible contenders for the sport’s biggest tournament this summer.
Even more impressive is that the Atlas Lions’ success is not limited to the senior men’s national team but has been spread across every age group and category.