Morocco has qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a 5–0 match against Niger in Rabat. The result makes them the first African team in the World Cup and shows their dominance on the continent.
Ismail Saibari, Ayoub El Kaabi, Hamza Igamane, and Azzedine Ounahi all scored for the Atlas Lions on Monday night. The victory puts Morocco at the top of Group E in this African qualification stage, with 18 points, plenty ahead of the second-best team Tanzania, with 10 points. Morocco has already clinched a place at the World Cup with their placid lead only three matches in.
This is the seventh time Morocco will be represented at the World Cup finals. Morocco reached a historic semi-final result at Qatar 2022, becoming the first African and Arab team to reach the semi-finals. They captured the world’s attention during the tournament and raised the expectation for their next showing.
This qualification shows that Morocco is a team that is consistently producing quality results. Head coach Walid Regragui has led the team to be tactically disciplined and exciting to watch when they attack. They have established themselves as one of the strongest teams from Africa on the world stage.
The rest of the African nations are still in contention for qualification. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will have nine teams qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, plus a playoff spot for an additional team that performs best as a runner-up.
For now, Morocco has taken the lead and will represent the African continent in North America. Their fans will hope the Atlas Lions can once again be successful, if not even better than their historic run last season when the tournament is held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Nigeria will also play against Rwanda this weekend in another 2026 World Cup qualifier encounter.
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