How Morocco became a World Cup contender

Every FIFA World Cup roster is made up of 26 players. On Morocco’s squad, 19 of the 26 are foreign-born players.

Only one of its starters from the 1-0 win against Scotland, midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, was born in the North African country. Its best player and captain Achraf Hakimi, from Spain, is among the majority multinationals. In total, six are from Spain, six from France, three from Belgium and the Netherlands, and one from Canada. Morocco made history as the first team to field a foreign-born lineup in the opening match against Brazil.

If a player has a parent from another country or has spent significant time in another region, they are allowed to choose the country they represent. The U.S. men’s national team has several multinational players on its roster, including tournament-breakout star Folarin Balogun, who was born in the United States but grew up in the U.K. Ultimately, he chose the USMNT after coming up through England’s youth level, using a one-time change allowed by FIFA.

Morocco will face Haiti in their final group stage match as it hopes to earn another point to propel itself into the knockout rounds. The two Group C teams kick off on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET from Atlanta Stadium.

The Atlas Lions made history last time around in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as the first African team to reach the semifinals. That squad featured more than half of multinational players.

Morocco has qualified for six World Cups but had a two-decade-long gap after its fourth appearance in 1998. Now, the AFCON side has made the tournament three consecutive times after honing in on recruiting players with ties to Morocco but outside the Arab nation. That’s also translated into a stronger youth system for the country.

In the most recent U-20 FIFA World Cup, Morocco raised the trophy for the first time in history, stunning Argentina 2-0. Many of those teenagers were also multinational players.

The federation has been successful in luring top names like Hakimi, 2026 UEFA Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain, but not with others like Spanish star Laime Yamal, who chose to represent the country of his birth. Yamal still honors his heritage with Morocco and Equatorial Guinea flags on his cleats, while Hakimi has said he felt more connected to Morocco enough to wear its crest.

Though no matter where they grew up, it’s clear that Morocco will have a strong contingent at Atlanta Stadium as the squad hopes to keep making history.

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Amna Subhan