The Morocco national football team formed in 1955. The team joined both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football in 1960. Morocco has a rich history in the world cup, being the first African team to win a group and the first to reach the second round.
Morocco first attempted to qualify for the 1962 world cup but failed to reach the finals tournament. The team withdrew from the 1966 competition before qualifying for Mexico 1970. The rest of the decade was a barren spell for world cup qualification and it wasn’t until 1986, again held in Mexico, that the team returned to the finals. The 1990 world cup proved out of Morocco’s reach but the team returned to the tournaments in 1994 and 1998.
Ranked 77th by FIFA, the Morocco national football team is stable but well below the standard expected of world cup participants.
World cup 1970
In a group with eventual winners West Germany, Morocco struggled to make an impact. The team gained a first world cup point in their final game, a 1-1 draw with Bulgaria. The tournament was a steep but very useful learning curve for the African team.
World cup 1986
This time Morocco were dangerous opponents. Draws with Poland and England, followed by a win over Portugal saw the team top their group. Once again Morocco faced West Germany and this time were beaten 1-0 in the knock-out round.
World cup 1994
The group stage was a disaster, with Morocco losing all three matches against Belgium, Saudi Arabia and Netherlands and finishing bottom of their group.
World cup 1998
Fortunes improved in 1998 when the team came within a few minutes of the second round. A draw with Norway and defeat by Brazil meant that a win in the last game, coupled with Norway failing to win would put Morocco through. Morocco raced into a 3-0 lead over Scotland and Brazil took a 1-0 lead. With less than ten minutes to play Norway scored twice, including an 88th minute penalty, to advance at Morocco’s cost. France 1998 was Morocco’s last appearance at a world cup finals.
World cup 2018
Fixtures to be announced.
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