Morocco at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Morocco have become the first African nation to qualify for the last four of the FIFA World Cup. Walid Regragui’s team made an impression despite a defeat like the defending champions, France, on the penultimate step.

Below are some facts about Morocco at the World Cup:

Morocco became the first African team to qualify for the semi-final of a World Cup tournament – each of the previous three African sides to reach a quarter-final were all eliminated at this stage (Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010).

World Cup  Date   Team Opponent    GF     GA    Round         Status

1990  01/07/1990 Cameroon   England      2        3        QF     Eliminated

2002  22/06/2002 Senegal       Turkey        0        1        QF     Eliminated

2010  02/07/2010 Ghana         Uruguay      1        1        QF     Eliminated

2022  10/12/2022 Morocco     Portugal      1        0        QF     Progressed

Morocco are unbeaten in their last six World Cup matches (W3 D3), the longest unbeaten run by an African nation in World Cup history.

World Cup : longest unbeaten runs by African Nations

Date of last day in run     Team Unbeaten Run

14/12/2022 Morocco     6

14/06/1990 Cameroon   5

11/06/1986 Morocco     4

16/06/2002 Senegal       4

08/06/2002 South Africa         4

Morocco WC 2022 3

Morocco have kept four clean sheets at World Cup 2022, one more than they’d recorded in their first 16 games in the competition between 1970 and 2018 (3). In fact, their total of seven clean sheets is the joint-most by an African nation in World Cup history (level with Nigeria).

Team Clean Sheets

Morocco     7

Nigeria        7

Cameroon   5

Tunisia        3

Youssef En-Nesyri has now scored more World Cup goals than any other Morocco player in their history in the competition (3).

Most goals for Morocco

Player         Team          Goals

Youssef En-Nesyri          Morocco     3

Abderrazad Khairi Morocco     2

Salaheddine Bassir          Morocco     2

Abdeljalil Hadda   Morocco     2

Zakaria Aboukhlal’s goal scored at 91:51 against Belgium was Morocco’s latest ever World Cup goal and their first scored in second half stoppage time.

World Cup: Morocco’s latest goals

Date   Minute        Player          Position       Team Opponent    Exact Time

27/11/2022 90      Aboukhlal   Striker         Morocco     Belgium      91:51

23/06/1998 85      Bassir Midfielder   Morocco     Scotland      84:25

25/06/2018 81      En-Nesyri    Striker         Morocco     Spain 80:36

Yassine Bounou, who made his 50th appearance for Morocco against Portugal, became the first African goalkeeper to record three clean sheets in a single edition of the World Cup.

World Cup: Most Clean Sheets by African Goalkeeper

Season        Team Player          Clean Sheets

2022  Morocco     Yassine Bounou   3

1982  Cameroon   Thomas Nkono     2

1986  Morocco     Ezaki Zaki   2

1994  Nigeria        Peter Rufai  2

2010  Côte d’Ivoire         Boubacar Barry     2

2014  Nigeria        Vincent Enyeama  2

2022  Tunisia        Aymen Dahmen    2

When Morocco faced Spain in the last 16, Yassine Bounou also became the first African goalkeeper to save a penalty in a World Cup shootout (saved two).

Morocco have won three games at World Cup 2022 – no African side has ever won more games at a single edition of the World Cup.

Most wins by an African nation

Team Season        Wins

Cameroon   1990  3

Morocco     2022  3

Algeria        1982  2

Ghana         2006  2

Ghana         2010  2

Nigeria        1994  2

Nigeria        1998  2

Senegal       2002  2

Senegal       2022  2

Walid Regragui reached the World Cup semi-finals after only eight games in charge of Morocco, the lowest total of games before reaching this stage since Otto Gloria with Portugal in 1966 (5th game). He is also the first African coach to reach the semi-finals of the competition.

Source CAF