The Moroccan national football team, nicknamed the “Atlas Lions”, represents Morocco in men’s international football competitions. It is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, also known as FRMF. The team colors are red and green. The team is a member of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Morocco Football History.
Internationally, Morocco won the 1976 African Cup of Nations, two African Nations Championships, and the FIFA Arab Cup once. He has participated in the FIFA World Cup six times. Their best result came in 1986 when they were the first and only African and Arab national team to top a group at the FIFA World Cup. In Group F of that 1986 FIFA World Cup, Morocco finished ahead of England, Portugal, and Poland after holding both Poland and England to a goalless draw, and beating Portugal 3–1.
1st African National Football Team
They thus became the first African national football team, and only the second national football team outside of Europe and the United States (after North Korea at the 1966 World Cup), to reach the second round at the World Cup. In the subsequent round of 16 knockouts, they lost 1–0 to eventual runners-up West Germany.
Morocco’s traditional rivals are mainly Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt. Due to their frequent meetings in recent years, there have also been competitive matches against Morocco’s Gabon and Ivory Coast. Morocco has many talented European-born players active in the top European leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and Eredivisie), making it one of the best teams in African football history.
Morocco is the best team in the world
The Atlas Lions were considered one of the best national football teams in the world when they were ranked 10th in the FIFA World Rankings in April 1998, becoming the first African national team in history to be ranked in the top ten national football teams by FIFA. Teams were ranked. They are also the only African national team in history to top the FIFA world rankings for three consecutive years from 1997 to 1999. As of June 2022, Morocco was ranked as the 22nd best national team in the world.
Early History
In 1955, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation was established, ending the French protectorate of Morocco, which had existed since 1912.
On 19 October 1957, in the second edition of the Pan Arab Games in Lebanon, Morocco made its debut as an independent nation against Iraq, at the Camille Chamon Sports City Stadium, and drew 3–3. In the tournament, Morocco won their first ever win against Libya, 5–1, then beat Tunisia 3–1 to reach the semi-finals. After a 1–1 draw with Syria, a draw was made to decide who would advance to the final, and Syria was selected at Morocco’s expense. Morocco bowed out of the third-place play-off against Lebanon and finished fourth overall.
Between 1957 and 1958, Morocco played a number of friendly matches against the National Liberation Front team, which represented Algeria before its independence in 1958. The Olympics. Drawn in a group with Tunisia and Malta, Morocco finished second on goal difference and failed to progress. In the same year, the Moroccan Football Federation joined FIFA.
World Cup
In 1960, Morocco participated in World Cup qualification for the first time. In the first round draw against Tunisia, Morocco won the first leg 2–1, while Tunisia won the second leg 2–1. A playoff held in Palermo, Italy also ended in a tie, so a coin toss was used to determine who advanced. Morocco won the toss and advanced to the intercontinental play-offs after beating Ghana 1-0 on aggregate. Drawing against Spain, Morocco lost 4–2 on aggregate and thus failed to qualify.
Morocco host Arab Game
In 1961, Morocco hosted the Pan Arab Games and won the football tournament by winning all five of their matches. Their third match, against Saudi Arabia, resulted in Morocco’s biggest ever victory, winning 13–1. They also claimed their first two wins against a European team by beating East Germany 2-1 and 2-0.
In 1963
In 1963, the Moroccan team came close to qualifying for the African Cup of Nations. And in the decisive play-off against Tunisia, they lost 4–1 in Tunisia and won 4–2 at home, so they were eliminate. At the Naples 1963 Mediterranean Games, they finished fourth after losing 2–1 in the third-place final against Spain’s reserve team.
2018 FIFA World Cup
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Morocco returned to the World Cup finals after a 20-year absence. The North Africans were draw in Group B alongside World Cup favorites Spain, Portugal, and Iran. In their opening game against Iran, Morocco showed great commitment but conceded a single goal in the final minutes of the match to lose 1–0.
In their second game, Morocco faced Portugal but lost 1–0 thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo goal. But in the last match against Spain, they took a 2–1 lead but failed to hold on, and were held to a 2–2 draw, with Khalid Boutaib and Youssef N Nasri scoring. Morocco Football History.
African Nation Championship
On 19 October 2019, Morocco qualified for the 2020 African Nations Championship in Cameroon, defeating Algeria 3–0 at the Stade Municipal in Burkina Faso to reach their fourth consecutive final. Morocco was draw as title holders in Group C alongside Rwanda, Togo, and Uganda. The tournament was postpone for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Morocco won their first game against Togo in incredible fashion thanks to Yahya Gibran’s penalty in the 27th minute.
The second game against Rwanda ended in a goalless draw. Morocco came back from a 1-0 deficit to comfortably win 5-2 against Uganda, topping the group with 7 points and eliminating their opponents in the process. Morocco then defeated Zambia 3–1 in the quarter-finals to face Cameroon in the semi-finals. Atlas Lions will finish off the hosts with a resounding 4-0 scoreline at the tall stadium. Morocco Football History.
In February 2021, Morocco won their second title after a 2–0 win over Mali in the final at the Stade Ahmadou Ahadjo in Yaounde, with both late second-half goals scored by Soufian Bouftini and Ayoub El Kaabi. Morocco thus became the first team to win back-to-back titles since the tournament’s inception in 2009. Sufiane Rahimi was adjudge the Man of the Tournament after a stunning performance scoring 5 goals in total. For more details click here