Morocco broke a 20-year drought by qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and they followed that up by qualifying for Qatar. Halihodzic continued to work on a side that has a lot of quality Hakimi, Boufal, En Nesyri, Munir and Abde are all comfortable.
Morocco claimed the other spot in Group F, looking to fly the flag for Africa once again after gaining a credible 2-2 draw against Spain at Russia 2018.
Morocco open their Qatar 2022 account against Croatia in the opening group fixture on Wednesday, Nov. 23 while Canada face Belgium on the same day.
Morocco are regarded as one of the strongest teams on the African continent and will boast plenty of star power at Qatar 2022, competing at the finals for the sixth time.
Much will rest on the shoulders of Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi, but he will be ably supported by the likes of Sofaine Boufal — who has Premier League experience, having formerly played with Southampton — and offers their most potent goal threat.
Morocco progressed to the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year before being knocked out by eventual finalists Egypt and could be a potential surprise challenger to make it into the latter stages.
- Current FIFA world ranking: No. 22 (November, 2022)
- Regional ranking: 2nd (CAF)
- World Cup titles: —
- World Cup appearances (last): 5 (Russia 2018)
- How qualified: (CAF Third Round winner: (agg 5-2 vs. DR Congo)
- Coach: Walid Regragri (Morocco) since Septembre, 2022
- Key players: Sofaine Boufal (Angers / France), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain / France), Romain Saiss (Besiktas / Turkey)
World Cup Group F fixtures and match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Morocco vs. Croatia | 5 a.m. | Al Bayt |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Belgium vs. Canada | 2 p.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Belgium vs. Morocco | 8 a.m. | Al Thumama |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Croatia vs. Canada | 11 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | Croatia vs. Belgium | 10 a.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | Canada vs. Morocco | 10 a.m. | Al Thumama |
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