Morocco has become the first Arab country to enter FIFA’s top five men’s team rankings after moving up by two places from their previous best position of number seven.
The two-time World Cup quarterfinalists leapt ahead of Brazil and Portugal on points on Sunday, following their strong performance in recent continental football matches.
Morocco are also the first African and Arab country to reach back-to-back quarterfinals at the World Cup, where the continent’s top-ranked nation was knocked out by France in consecutive tournaments.
Also read: Bagbin to headline 2026 World Public Relations Forum in Abuja as Special Guest of Honour
The Atlas Lions’ 2026 finish did not improve or match their semifinal run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they surpassed all expectations to become Africa and the Arab world’s first semifinalists and the darlings of the tournament.
Following the World Cup in North America, Mohamed Ouhabi’s team have maintained a 100 percent record in the current round of qualifying matches for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027.
Morocco thumped Niger 5-0 in their latest qualification match on Friday, as the star-studded lineup shone in front of a raucous home crowd in Rabat.
AFCON’s defending champions lead Group A by nine points.
However, their AFCON title is contentious and is subject to a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following an appeal by losing finalists Senegal.
Senegal were stripped of this year’s AFCON title, and Morocco were declared champions by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), despite Senegal beating the hosts 1-0 after extra time in January’s final in Rabat.
Senegal walked off the pitch for 14 minutes after a penalty was awarded against them late in regulation time, with several players returning to the dressing room in protest before they resumed play.
Morocco missed the spot kick, sending the match into extra time, where Senegal scored the winner to secure victory.
However, they were stripped of the title two months later after CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match by walking off the pitch, overturning the result and awarding a 3-0 victory to Morocco.
The controversial 2025 title was the northwestern African side’s second AFCON title since 1976.
Morocco is one of the co-host nations for the FIFA World Cup 2030.
Aljazeera