Morocco national football team: squad, coach, world rankings, AFCON, nickname

Morocco national football team: squad, coach, world rankings, AFCON, nickname

Claudia Kogi
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:54 PM

Governed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Morocco national football team is an international football team that represents the republic of Morocco in men's soccer. Since their debut, the team has displayed commendable results that they are registered members of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football.

Morocco national football team
Photo: canva.com (modified by author)
Source: UGC

What is the Guinea national football team's nickname? The national team is famously dubbed the Atlas Lions. So why has the team become a sought-after football club in recent years? Have a look at this article and find more information about Morocco's national football team roster, its current squad, AFCON participation, and much more.

Profile summary

  • Full name: Morocco National Football Team
  • Nickname: The Atlas Lions
  • Managed by: Royal Moroccan Football Federation
  • Founded: 1928
  • Colours: Red, green, and white
  • Federation: CAF
  • Head coach: Vahid Halilhodzic
  • Captain: Romain Saiss
  • Most caps: Noureddine Naybet (115)
  • Top scorer: Ahmed Faras (36)
  • FIFA ranking: 28 (as of December 2021)
  • FIFA code: MAR

History

The Atlas Lions debuted in the soccer scene in 1928 when they played a friendly match against France. The team has since participated in various tournaments and main competitions, winning several Medals and Cups.

In 1966, they joined the Confederation of African Football and participated in the competitions organized by the CAF. In fact, the Atlas Lions have participated in various Africa Cup of Nations competitions and even came out as champions of 1976 AFCON and in the African Nations Championship in 2018 and 2020.

Morocco national football team
The players gather on the pitch before the Russia 2018 World Cup Group B match against Spain at the Kaliningrad Stadium in Kaliningrad. Photo: Ozan Kose
Source: Getty Images

Did Morocco national football team qualify for AFCON 2022

Fortunately, it qualified for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, and they are placed in Group C.

Group C

  • 10 January: Morocco vs Ghana
  • 14 January: Morocco vs Comoros
  • 18 January: Gabon vs Morocco

What are Morocco's AFCON 2022 results?

Have a look at the AFCON 2022 results as of 21 January 2022.

  • 10 January 2022: Morocco (1) vs Ghana (0)
  • 14 January 2022: Morocco (2) vs Comoros (0)
  • 18 January 2022: Gabon (2) vs Morocco (2)

Morocco national football team world rankings

According to the current FIFA rankings, the Atlas Lions sit at position 28 with 1529.93 points globally, just before Algeria, with 1516.51 points. What is the Morocco national football team highest FIFA ranking? The Atlas Lions' highest FIFA ranking was position 10 in 1998, while the lowest FIFA ranking was 95 in 2010.

How many African Cups does Morocco have?

Morocco's national football team has won several trophies since they debuted in the football scene. Here are some of the African Cups that the team has brought home.

  • (1976) Africa Cup of Nations
  • 2018, 2021) African Nations Championship
  • 1985, 1986, and 1997) African National Team of the year

Here are some more trophies and gold medals that Morocco has brought to its honours. Have a look.

  • (2012) FIFA Arab Cup
  • (1961, 1976) Pan Arab Games
  • (1983, 2013) Mediterranean Games
  • (2013) Islamic Solidarity games

Morocco's coach and captain

It is always evident that it is highly dependent on the availability of a skilled captain and coach for any prominence or success of a team. Have a look at the profile of Morocco's captain and coach, Vahid Halilhodzic below.

Morocco national football team: squad, coach, world rankings, AFCON, nickname
Atlas Lions' Faycal Fajr vies with Spain's midfielder Andres Iniesta during the Russia 2018 World Cup in a match against Spain in Kaliningrad. (Photo: Patrick Hertzog
Source: Getty Images

Morocco national football team coach

Have a look at the profile summary of the Atlas Lions' coach and find more information about him.

Profile summary

  • Full name: Vahid Halilhodzic
  • Date of birth: 15 October 1952
  • Age: 69 years old as of January 2022
  • Zodiac: Libra
  • Place of birth: Jablanica, FPR Yugoslavia
  • Height in feet: 6'0"
  • Height in centimetres: 182
  • Current team: Morocco National Football Team

Morocco national football team captain

Here is the profile of Atlas Lions' captain:

Profile summary

  • Full name: Romain Ghanem Paul Saiss
  • Date of birth: 26 March 1990
  • Age: 31 years old (as of January 2022)
  • Place of birth: Bourg-de-Péage, France
  • Nationality: French
  • Height in feet: 6'3"
  • Height in centimetres: 190
  • Current team: Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Atlas Lions
  • Position: Defender and midfielder
  • Number: 27

Who are Morocco's national football team players?

The following players were called up for the 2021/22 Africa Cup of Nations competitions from 9 January to 6 February 2022.

Goalkeepers

  • Yassine Bounou (Sevilla)
  • Munir El Kajoui (Hatayspor)
  • Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca)

Midfielders

  • Fayçal Fajr (Sivasspor)
  • Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina)
  • Aymen Barkok (Eintracht Frankfurt)
  • Selim Amallah (Standard Liège)
  • Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers)
  • Imran Louza (Watford)
  • Azzedine Ounah (Angers)

Defenders

Morocco national football team: squad, coach, world rankings, AFCON, nickname
Atlas Lions' players celebrate a goal during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group B match against Spain in Kaliningrad. Photo: Patrick Hertzog
Source: Getty Images
  • Romain Saïss (captain) (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
  • Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
  • Nayef Aguerd (Rennes)
  • Adam Masina (England Watford)
  • Samy Mmaee (Hungary Ferencvaros)
  • Sofian Chakla (OH Leuven)
  • Souffian El Karouani (NEC)
  • Sofiane Alakouch (Metz)
  • Mohamed Chibi (AS FAR)

Forwards

  • Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla)
  • Sofiane Boufal (Angers)
  • Ayoub El Kaabi (Hatayspor)
  • Achraf Bencharki (Zamalek)
  • Munir El Haddadi (Sevilla)
  • yan Mmaee (Ferencvarosi)
  • Zakaria Aboukhlal (AZ)
  • Soufiane Rahimi (United Arab Emirates Al-Ain)
  • Tarik Tissoudali (K.A.A. Gent)

Participating in the World Cup is a dream of any Morocco national football team player and fan. However, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. Perhaps the tiny country is some steps away from reaching its goal. AFCON and World Cup await!

READ ALSO: Comoros national football team squad, coach, world rankings, AFCON, nickname

Sportsbrief.com recently published an article about the Comoros national football team. Dig in to find out more information regarding Comoros.

The Comoros team are super talented, and they are taking the soccer scene by storm. Read all about it here!

Authors
Claudia Kogi photo
Claudia Kogi
Claudia Kogi is a Kenyan content creator with over 3 years of experience. Claudia joined Sportsbrief.com as a writer in January 2022, covering sports and relatable content.