Morocco booked their spot at the 2026 World Cup on Friday night with a commanding 5-0 thrashing of Niger in Rabat, cementing their status as the first African nation to qualify for the tournament.
The night couldn’t have gone much better for the Atlas Lions . Playing the inaugural match at the newly redeveloped Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium — which will host the 2025 AFCON final and feature again in the 2030 World Cup — Morocco delivered a performance worthy of the occasion.
Things unraveled quickly for Niger when Abdul-Latif Goumey was shown a red card in the first half. Ismael Saibari wasted no time capitalizing, striking twice before the break. After halftime, the floodgates opened further as Ayoub El Kaabi, Hamza Igamane, and Azzedine Ounahi all got on the scoresheet to complete the rout.
The result made it six wins from six for Morocco in Group E, pushing them to an uncatchable 18 points — eight clear of second-placed Tanzania — and sealing their seventh World Cup appearance with two qualifiers still to play.
It’s a continuation of the fairytale that began in Qatar 2022, where Morocco shocked the football world by topping a group with Croatia and Belgium before eliminating Spain and Portugal on their way to becoming the first African semi-finalists in World Cup history.
Now, with another ticket to the biggest stage secured, Morocco can start dreaming of going even further in 2026. And if Friday’s performance is any indication, the Atlas Lions are far from finished roaring.
