They have stunned the World. Morocco became the first African country to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup with a brilliant 1-0 win over Portugal but having defied the huge odds, what is their official FIFA world ranking?
It was Youssef En-Nesyri’s first-half strike that proved to be the difference. The Sevilla striker, so often linked with a move to the Premier League and most notably, West Ham, became a National hero in a matter of seconds on Saturday.
The win over Portugal comes after knocking Spain out on penalties in the last 16. In their group, they finished above both Croatia and Belgium – as well as Canada – to top the group. Now, arguably, their toughest test comes in France.
The French beat an impressive England on Saturday evening, despite playing on the counter. Kylian Mbappe was quiet and now, he goes up against his PSG teammate in Achraf Hakimi. France will be the favourites, but Morocco can do it.
They have beaten Belgium, Spain and Portugal in their five matches – so what is stopping them from adding another giant name to that huge list? Indeed, the magic of the World Cup is truly living inside the hearts of the Morocco stars.
Can Morocco win the World Cup?
Morocco have already written themselves in the record book by becoming the first African team to make it through to a World Cup semi-final and they are well equipped to go on and win it.
Morocco have a number of key players that they will need to perform well if this is to happen. En-Nesyri being the target man and the attacking spearhead. The attacking heartbeat, Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech. Hakimi is one of the world’s best right-backs and will likely be the one having to deal with the pace of Mbappe.
Sofyan Amrabat has been the heartbeat of the team in midfield. His lung-busting, stamina-indefinite displays in the middle have attracted interest from Liverpool and Tottenham – according to CM. Other high-profile players in the squad include Bayern Munich ace Noussair Mazraoui and Nayef Aguerd, who recently joined West Ham for £35m.
So, while it might be a surprise to see the name Morocco in the last four of the World Cup, their squad cannot be underestimated.
Where is Morocco ranked in FIFA?
When FIFA last updated the Men’s Ranking on 6th October 2022, Morocco was ranked as the 22nd best national team in the world. FIFA will not update the leaderboard until after the World Cup has finished on December 22, 2022 meaning Morocco will officially be the 22nd best nation going up against fourth-best in France on Wednesday night.
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