Morocco became the first team from Africa to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup with a memorable run in Qatar. Walid Regragui led his team to the last four after surging through the group stage, producing three outstanding performances, including victories over Belgium and Canada to take top spot.
Morocco then held their nerve in a test of character from the penalty spot after producing a rearguard action against Spain, defeating La Roja 3-0 in a shootout. They then faced the might of Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in their first-ever World Cup quarter-final. Morocco stared down the challenge and advanced to the last four with another resilient display at the back while Youssef En-Nesyri’s strike was enough to decide the contest.
On the precipice of a historic run to the final, defending champions France were the dream crushers, edging out Regragui’s team 2-0 in the semis. In the third-place playoff, Croatia spoilt the party with a 2-1 victory, although Morocco’s fourth-place finish was a remarkable achievement considering their resources and talent compared to the other leading lights in the tournament. It should give plenty of hope to other African nations to punch above their weight even though few have been able to take the momentum from past runs after Cameroon and Ghana reached the quarter-finals in 1990 and 2010 respectively.
World Cup 2026
Bookmakers like talkSPORT BET consider Morocco as the best prospect from Africa to win the World Cup in 2026. Regragui has a lot of promising talent in his ranks that will be operating at the peak or near their peaks in three year’s time. So there should be plenty of optimism around their performance. But who else could join them in making an impact?
Egypt didn’t capitalise on the World Cup stage with Mohamed Salah after failing to reach the tournament in 2022, having previously been knocked out at the group stage in 2018. Given Salah’s age and the lack of talent emerging in the ranks, their window looks closed.
Senegal reached the round of 16 before being dumped out by England in a 3-0 defeat. They’ve got a lot of good talent who are playing at a high level. While players such as Sadio Mane are being phased out of elite competitions, there are enough prospects coming through to bolster their ranks and perhaps make an under-the-radar team.
Nigeria have underperformed given their talent as they failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. The Super Eagles have made six out of the last eight tournaments, but have only reached the round of 16, suffering a 2-0 defeat to France in their last appearance in the knockout phase in 2014. They have ample firepower in the final third, which is more than half the battle. Hopefully, it will come to fruition in North America and Mexico in 2026.
Looking Ahead
Africa is a blossoming continent of talented football sides, but few have made their mark at the World Cup. Morocco played sensible tournament football to reach the last four and may have just handed their contemporaries a blueprint on how to compete against the established European and South American opponents.
