Group: C — Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

How they Qualified: Won CAF Group E with a perfect record, becoming the first African nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. They clinched their place with a 5-0 win over Niger in Rabat.

Best World Cup Finish: 4th Place (2022)

Transfermarkt Roster Value: $512.3 M

FIFA Rank: 8

Odds to Win Group: +425

Odds to Advance: -1000

Odds to Win Cup: 50-1

Key Players:

  • Achraf Hakimi — Right Back — Paris Saint-Germain (France). Hakimi is still Morocco’s most important player and the one who gives their whole tactical identity a different gear. Transfermarkt lists him at $94.1m, and he is more than just a defender, he is a ball-progressor, transition weapon, set-piece option and captain. In a group where Morocco may have to defend deep against Brazil but control more of the ball against Scotland and Haiti, Hakimi’s ability to change the game from right back is enormous.
  • Brahim Díaz — Attacking Midfielder/Winger — Real Madrid (Spain). Brahim is the player who gives Morocco a little more attacking imagination than the 2022 version had. Valued at $41.2m, he has already produced 13 goals in 24 caps since switching from Spain to Morocco. He can play wide, drift inside, combine in tight spaces and take penalties, which makes him the obvious player to build the final-third attack around.
  • Yassine Bounou — Goalkeeper — Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia). Bounou is 35 now, but he remains one of the defining figures of Morocco’s rise. He enters the World Cup with 89 caps, and his shot-stopping and calm under pressure still matter because Morocco’s path against elite teams usually involves long stretches without the ball. If Morocco are going to frustrate Brazil or survive multiple knockout games, Bounou probably has to produce at least one of those classic tournament-goalkeeper performances.

Playing Style and Outlook

Morocco are one of the most interesting teams in the field because they are no longer a surprise, but they are also not quite a traditional favorite. In 2022, they were the tournament’s great disruptor. They made a Cinderella run to the semifinals with a team that was compact, fearless, defensively ruthless and devastating in transition. Now they arrive ranked eighth in the world, with a roster full of players from Europe’s top leagues and the burden of proving that the Qatar run was not a one-off.

The biggest change is on the sideline. Walid Regragui, the coach who led Morocco to the 2022 semifinal, resigned in March, saying the team needed “a new vision and a different energy.” Mohamed Ouahbi took over just three months before the World Cup, which makes Morocco harder to project than most teams this high in the countdown. Ouahbi is not a random appointment, he coached Morocco’s under-20 team to a World Cup title in Chile, but this is still a major change very close to the tournament.

The early evidence suggests Morocco are not ripping up the old identity. They still project to set up in a 4-3-3, built around compact structure, rapid transitions and fullback-driven progression. Morocco’s best players naturally point them in that direction, with Hakimi flying up the right, Noussair Mazraoui giving fullback flexibility, Sofyan Amrabat protecting the middle, Brahim Díaz creating between the lines, and Bounou behind it all.

The March friendlies gave a decent first look at the Ouahbi version. Morocco drew 1-1 with Ecuador in his first match, with Neil El Aynaoui scoring a late equalizer, then beat Paraguay 2-1 a few days later. Those are useful opponents because Ecuador and Paraguay both bring the kind of physical, transition-heavy profile Morocco could see in the knockouts. The results were not spectacular, but they were steady, and that probably matters more given the coaching change.

They were not given any breaks with Group C. Brazil are the obvious favorite, and the opener at MetLife is a huge immediate test. Morocco do not need to beat Brazil to have a successful group stage, but a draw would change the whole shape of Group C.

Scotland are the real swing opponent. They are physical, organized, dangerous on set pieces, and comfortable making games ugly. That is not an easy matchup for a Morocco side that wants to use Hakimi and Brahim in space. If Morocco can control midfield and avoid cheap fouls around the box, they should have more attacking quality. If the game becomes a second-ball fight, Scotland can make it very uncomfortable.

Morocco should have no trouble with Haiti, but can’t afford to overlook them and allow them to play spoiler. If they enter the finale needing three points, it could become a pressure-packed match.

The ceiling is still high. Morocco have a world-class right back, an elite tournament goalkeeper, a more creative attack than they had four years ago, and the confidence of a team that has already beaten major powers on the biggest stage. The concern is whether the coaching change costs them some of the defensive certainty and emotional clarity that made 2022 so special.

The market has Morocco as the clear second team in Group C: well behind Brazil to win the group, but strongly favored to advance. They are good enough to push Brazil, good enough to beat Scotland and Haiti, and dangerous enough that no group winner will want to see them early in the knockouts. The question is whether Morocco can move from historic semifinalist to repeatable contender. This tournament will tell us whether the Atlas Lions are still chasing the 2022 magic or have turned it into something sustainable.