Just 180 mins. How close are Morocco to the World Cup final as they prepare for Saturday’s last-eight clash with Portugal, how close are they to being a representative in the Arab region’s biggest sporting event and how close are they to international football To shake it to its foundations.
Now that the ultimate glory can almost be touched, those who rise to the occasion will see their names immortalized. And he will have the support of not only his country but all Arab fans and probably most of the world.
Whatever happens over the next week, Morocco has earned international respect and genuine admiration. Pundits in Europe are discussing the most effective ways teams can enter the tournament with the best defense ever. In four games, the Reds have conceded only once, a makeshift own goal in a 2–1 win over Canada in the final group game. This saw them top spot after an opening 0–0 draw against Croatia, runners-up in 2018, and a 2–0 win over Belgium, ranked second in the world by FIFA. Only two teams, the Netherlands and England, could match the seven points collected by Walid Regargui’s men. This is the highest tally by any Arab team in the tournament’s history.
Then came the second round against 2010 champions Spain. Europeans had more rights, but Africans had better opportunities. After 120 minutes without a goal, Morocco went to the penalty shootout with enthusiasm and won 3–1. Not only did fans across the country rejoice when Achraf Hakimi scored a Panenka penalty to secure a place in the last eight, but it also demonstrated the kind of confidence, self-belief and skill that is now present in the ranks.
That’s right, because by now the road is almost fine. Going forward, the way to the last four has been blocked by Portugal. There is no one in Morocco who does not think that their team cannot beat the Europeans. There aren’t many people anywhere who would be surprised to see the Atlas Lions now in the Final Four and maybe even go beyond that.
“At some point in Africa, we have to be ambitious and why not win the World Cup, even if it is difficult,” Regargui said after the victory over Spain.
There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, especially if those dreams aren’t as wild as they were just a few weeks ago. It is not just about Morocco. They are representing the Arab world, and their success reflects well on their neighbors and rivals. Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria and other countries have already shown they can compete with the best in the world and will look to Morocco and ask if they should be satisfied with just competing and not actually winning consistently.
Morocco’s success shows that there is talent in this area. There will be more European clubs interested in players from that part of the world, which can only be positive. This should inspire more future players to take up the sport and, if all goes well, in response to global success, lead to greater involvement and investment from governments and the private sector, leading to a healthier and stronger grassroots level.
The world should be happy too, well, at least the people outside Europe and South America. These are the two traditional powerhouses of world football and have been for over a century. Pelé famously said in 1977 that an African team would win the World Cup by the end of the 20th century. South Korea reached the last four in 2002 but failed to build on that success. Ghana should have done the same in 2010, but famously or infamously, lost to Uruguay. Now there’s another chance—and it’s Morocco.
“We fought and made the Moroccan people happy. We have created history and Morocco deserves it. The Moroccan people united us on the field, ”said Regargui.
For a team from Africa and the Arab world to show a great chance to reach the semi-finals is something that should unite not only Morocco but everyone outside Europe or South America. This is a real opportunity. Portugal is clearly a strong team and won a tough group with some rest and then beat Switzerland 6-1, a side that looked solid in the group stage and were expected to give the Portuguese a tough test.
Yet Switzerland did not have the whole of the Arab world as well as Africa and Asia. They didn’t have the best defense in the tournament. They didn’t have stars like Hakim Ziyech, Sofiane Amrbat, Hakimi and others at the top of their game – and they didn’t have Regaragui in charge.
Morocco is still the underdog but not by much, and they are not finished yet. It’s time to dream and it’s time to seriously challenge European and South American dominance. Saturday could be seismic and that’s for sure.