'The Morocco mindset has changed' - Could Afcon champions go further than 2022 World Cup semi-final?

Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Morocco were ranked as the 22nd best national team in the world . They went into the tournament hoping to reach the last 16.

Instead, they beat Spain, Belgium and Portugal en-route to the semi-finals, becoming the first African team to reach the last four.

They also become Africa Cup of Nations champions for only the second time in 2025, in highly controversial circumstances, and won the U20 World Cup. There is an argument to be made that no African team has ever looked more likely to win the World Cup.

As a nation of 36 million people, Morocco is only the 12th largest country in Africa, but they are dominating in both the men’s and women’s game on the continent.

The final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations took place on January 18, 2026. But Morocco would have to wait until March 17 to be confirmed as champions, via a decision made by the African Football Confederation (CAF) appeal board.

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Morocco's Brahim Diaz missed with a Panenka spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time once the Senegal players returned to the pitch after protesting against the penalty award. Senegal then scored their own extra-time winner and Diaz was cast as the villain in bizarre circumstances.

When the CAF decision came through in March, Diaz was playing in the Champions League against former club Man City for Real Madrid . He celebrated the moment on the pitch as his redemption was confirmed.

“I always compare Diaz to Roberto Baggio [missing a penalty for Italy] in the 1994 World Cup. They say Baggio 'died standing' and Diaz died standing," Morrocan football journalist Ahmed Talil told our Make Football Great Again Podcast. “The love from the fans came back after the CAF decision."

With 13 goals in 24 caps for Morocco, Real Madrid’s Diaz is one of several stars who the Atlas Lions will be relying on.

“After the last World Cup, expectations are really high. The Moroccan mindset has changed,” Ahmed said.

Morocco have never reached the knockout stages in back-to-back World Cups, but Ahmed believes they will go much further than that.

“We as fans and journalists are only happy if we top Group C and reach the final," Ahmed said.

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Alongside the Atlas Lions in Group C are Haiti, Scotland and 5-time champions Brazil, who will likely provide Morocco’s toughest test, under Carlo Ancelotti. They last met in a friendly in March 2023, when Morocco defeated the Selecao 2-1 in Rabat.

Morocco will be led by Mohammed Ouahbi, the man who coached the U20 team to World Cup victory over Argentina. Ouahbi was appointed after Walid Regragui’s resignation in March, before CAF’s decision to award AFCON to Morocco.

“I share the comparison with Gareth Southgate ,” Ahmed said, when asked if Ouahbi had a similar background to the former England boss. Ouahbi has risen the ranks of Moroccan football through managing the U20 and U23 teams, having begun his coaching career with Anderlecht’s academy.

While Diaz will be important to their success at this tournament, Morocco’s captain and star man is PSG ’s Achraf Hakimi. He returned from a month-long injury layoff to star in the Parisian’s victory over Arsenal in the Champions League final.

Question marks around his fitness were a concern for Morocco going into the tournament, with their flying full-backs vital to the way they play. Hakimi’s return will be a huge boost, meanwhile on the opposite flank to Hakimi will be Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui.

Goalkeeper Bono will be hoping to provide the edge for Morocco, having been nominated for the Yashin trophy and the Ballon D’Or in 2023 after his exploits in Qatar . He has starred for Al-Hilal since making a 2023 move to Saudi Arabia.

Much like Bono, both Azzedine Ounahi and Sofyane Amrabat also starred in the legendary run to the semi-finals. They are likely to be important players again, even if their club careers have not panned out how some would have expected after that tournament.

Ounahi was recently relegated from La Liga with Girona while Amrabat spent last season on loan at Real Betis. Amrabat previously spent the 23/24 season on loan at Manchester United .

“Ounahi is one of the best dribblers in La Liga,” according to Ahmed. Looking at the data, no midfielder in the whole division last season bettered Ounahi’s 69 completed dribbles.

There are several current Premier League players in the squad including Sunderland winger Chemsidine Talbi, Fulham ’s Issa Diop and Crystal Palace centre back Chadi Riad.

Meanwhile Bilal El Khannouss and Nayef Aguerd will be familiar names from their spells at Leicester and West Ham respectively.

One surprise omission from the squad is Watford ’s Othmane Maamma, the 20-year-old won the Golden Ball at the U20 World Cup in 2025 and impressed for Watford in his debut Championship campaign. Both Maamma and club teammate Imran Louza will likely feel hard done by not to be travelling to North America.

Pele declared in 1974 that an African team would win the World Cup before 2000. His prediction would not come true, but barriers are still there to be broken.

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