What place would be better than Qatar to see Morocco face Argentina in the final World Cup? But unfortunately, Morocco’s epic journey to the semi-finals ended right there against the defending champs.
Morocco will always be remembered by African nations and the Arab world as the country that carried Africa to its furthest point in the tournament, as it defeated Spain and then Portugal, leaving the legend, Ronaldo, in tears after the devastating loss.
While footage shows thousands of fans on the streets of their home country cheering for their teams playing in the World Cup, unprecedented scenes showed thousands of fans on the streets cheering for Morocco all throughout North Africa, the Middle East, and even Western Europe.
“We are disappointed for the Moroccan people,” said Coach Walid Regragui. “We felt we could have gone further but we have given a good image of Morocco and of African football. That was important to us.”
Despite the loss, Morocco showed resilience after going down 0-1 early in the game. Its relentless defense harassed France and Mbappe who actually didn’t play his best game.
While many around the world might’ve been wondering how Cinderella Morocco ended up in the semi-finals, aficionados in other parts of the world saw Morocco’s potential early in the group stage. Morocco actually went undefeated throughout the entire tournament up until losing its last game against France.
In its first game, it was a 0-0 draw against Croatia, a clearly formidable team that eventually went on to defeat the juggernaut Brazil. Morocco then defeated Belgium and Canada to finish off 2-0-1 in the group stage.
Then in the Round of 16, it shocked Spain in a penalty shootout. Despite that, doubters discounted it as one lucky win. But then, against Ronaldo and a very tough Portugal squad, Morocco did it again, defeating Portugal 1-0.
Losing to France in the semi-finals was devastating, but nonetheless, just playing in the semi-finals itself was still a momentous feat for Morocco. And it also puts Morocco on the map as a high-caliber team, now known for its tenacious defense.
The other African team that was expected to go pretty far in this World Cup was Senegal, who got eliminated by the UK in the Round of 16. But this was without its star player, Sadio Mane. Before his injury, Senegal was expected to make a good run for the crown.
While home-field advantage may have helped Morocco, as the overwhelming majority of fans were rooting for them, who knows if it will help them even further in 2030, as Morocco announced its bid to host it, as well as Saudi Arabia and Egypt in a joint bid. The United States will be hosting the World Cup in 2026.
