Morocco have had a fairytale FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar thus far, unifying large parts of the world as their support grows each game, but also shocking everyone with their results and quality of performance. Morocco’s exploits have major implications for their continent as it means Africa will massively benefit from their progress in the next World Cup.
The Atlas Lions beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on Saturday evening to become the first ever African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final. Walid Regragui’s men have claimed some notable scalps, including the aforementioned Portugal, Spain, Belgium and Croatia.
What has made their run to the semis even more impressive is the fact that Morocco have only conceded a single goal in the tournament thus far, and even that was put into the back of the net by one of their own players, West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd.
Their discipline and structure in defense has been evident for all to see, even becoming somewhat contagious as their sturdy performances have won the hearts of fans around the world.
Africa as a whole can be thankful to the Moroccan national team for their success as it is set to pave the way for more African nations to potentially set alight the world’s biggest stage.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico, and the tournament will see a few things change relative to the World Cup competitions as we know it today, starting by increasing the number of participating teams from 32 to 48.
Morocco’s success in this year’s edition of the World Cup, in particular getting to the semi-finals, has positive ramifications for the continent as it means that Africa will now get 11 slots at the 2026 tournament. 9 of the slots are permanent, another will be via a playoff and the final spot will just be as a result of how far Morocco went in Qatar (minimum semi-finals).
This will give many more African nations the opportunity to play in the world’s biggest competition, bringing the exposure and glamour that comes with the World Cup.
Morocco know that they will at least be playing another 2 fixtures this tournament, with both the final and third/fourth place playoff taking place this weekend. However, history has already been written as the defiant and resilient Atlas Lions will become the first ever African nation to finish in the final four of a World Cup.
Morocco, Africa is behind you!
Also Read: Danny Jordaan Applauds Morocco After Reaching World Cup Semifinals
