Morocco National Team World Cup Betting
Morocco will look to make it to the knockout rounds of the World Cup for just the second time in its history this winter. The Atlas Lions made it to this stage for the first time in two decades four years ago in Russia, and they look to be even stronger in 2022. This country just put together its most dominant performance in World Cup qualifying with a 7-1-0 record and a +22 goal differential, so Morocco does have a chance to make it out of Group F.
Manager: Vahid Halilhodzic
Nickname: The Atlas Lions
Confederation: CAF (Africa)
FIFA Ranking: 24 (March 2022)
Morocco World Cup Betting Odds
To Win Group F: +1050
To Win 2022 World Cup: +30000
*Odds as of May 4, 2022
Morocco Group Stage Schedule
Morocco vs. Croatia, Wednesday, November 23, 2022, 5 a.m. ET, at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor (FS1)
Belgium vs. Morocco, Sunday, November 27, 2022, 8 a.m. ET, at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha (FS1)
Canada vs. Morocco, Thursday, December 1, 2022, 10 a.m. ET, at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha (FS1)
History at the World Cup
Appearances: 6 (first in 1970)
Best Result: Round of 16 (1986)
This is the sixth time that Morocco has taken part in the World Cup. Morocco was part of France until the 1950s, so it took some time for the nation to get on its feet and develop a national team, but the Atlas Lions have been one of the better teams in Africa. They are tied with Tunisia and Nigeria as the countries with the second-most World Cup appearances, and only Cameroon is ahead.
Morocco made its World Cup debut in 1970. The Atlas Lions were unable to make it out of the Group Stage, but they did secure their first result. They drew Bulgaria 1-1 in their final match, and they did take a lead into halftime against West Germany before falling.
The next time Morocco made it to the World Cup also came when the competition was in Mexico. The Atlas Lions qualified for the 1986 World Cup, and they not only picked up their first win, but they made it out of the Group Stage for the only time in their history. They surprisingly topped a group that included England, Poland, and Portugal by playing the first two countries to a scoreless draw before besting the Portuguese 3-1 in the final match of the Group Stage. Unfortunately, they were forced to play West Germany in the Round of 16 and lost 1-0 to the eventual runner-up.
The Atlas Lions made it to the Group Stage of the World Cup in 1994 and 1998, and they nearly made it to the knockout rounds in the latter event after beating Scotland and drawing Norway. However, a stunning Norwegian win over Brazil kept them out. Morocco was seen as the likely third-place finisher in Group B at the 2018 World Cup, but a late own goal against Iran in the first match doomed them.
What to Watch
Hakim Ziyech retired from international play following a spat with head coach Vahid Halilhodzic last summer. Ziyech might return in time for the World Cup if the national federation parts ways with Halilhodzic, and we saw that exact scenario play out just before the 2018 World Cup as Halilhodzic was fired by Japan shortly before the start of the competition.
Youssef En-Nesyri will likely be the top forward for Morocco if Ziyech doesn’t return to the team. En-Nesyri has scored 12 goals for the national team, and he has had a nice season with Sevilla alongside fellow Moroccan teammate Munir El Haddadi.
The most talented player on the Atlas Lions is Achraf Hakimi. The defender has eight goals for Morocco, and he has been a solid two-way player for Paris Saint-Germain. Captain Roman Saiss has been stout in the center of the defense, but there are concerns aside from those two positions.
There is a decent amount of depth compared to other countries from smaller federations too. That arguably gives Morocco the best chance to advance of any team from Africa.
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