Ahead of Morocco vs Canada at the World Cup, comparisons arise with the 2022 team

Morocco’s historical tally astatine the Qatar World Cup 2022 is remembered by immoderate poignant, almighty and indelible images from their quarterfinal triumph implicit Portugal: a towering header – the match-winning extremity by Youssef En-Nesyri – against Cristiano Ronaldo’s side, Hakim Ziyech’s mazy dribbles that enactment the 2016 European champions successful a spin, and Soufiane Boufal’s creation with his parent connected the transportation successful the heartwarming post-match celebrations.

Four years on, nary of those players person made the travel to the World Cup successful North America.

In fact, the lone holdovers from that memorable tourney are Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui, Azzedine Ounahi, Bilal El-Khanouss and the goalkeepers.

The then-celebrated manager, Walid Regragui, has been formed aside, too.

Despite the extremist changes, Morocco are yet to suffer a lucifer and person advanced to the Round of 16 aft dispatching the Netherlands successful a nervy punishment shootout connected Monday.

Comparisons betwixt the classes of 2022 and 2026 were inevitable. They began astatine the extremity of the radical stage, erstwhile it was pointed retired that the Moroccan squad of 4 years agone topped their radical portion this 1 failed to bushed Haiti and Scotland by large capable margins to leapfrog Brazil successful Group C.

In bid to genuinely impressment the critics, the existent procreation whitethorn request to lucifer oregon amended the semifinal tally of 2022.

Morocco of 2022: Experience and antiaircraft tactics

In 2022, the tactical program was elemental yet effective.

Head manager Regragui was an exigency assignment pursuing Bosnian manager Vahid Halilhodzic falling retired with respective players.

Regragui had little than 3 months earlier the commencement of the World Cup to prime his players and instrumentality a tactical plan. Realising that clip was not connected his side, helium kept things simple.

“Regragui’s squad was much defensive,” Mohammad Alrfae, an expert for Jordanian Premier League broadside Al Ahli SC, told Al Jazeera.

“He had older, much experienced players from large European sides astatine his disposal.”

In spite of their method ability, the squad showed nary involvement successful dominating possession nether Regragui during Qatar 2022. In fact, their highest possession percent came successful the lone lucifer they mislaid – against France successful the semifinal.

Morocco, nether Regragui, were not arsenic antagonistic arsenic immoderate different sides employing the aforesaid tactics. They acceptable their backline midway betwixt their extremity and midfield, arsenic opposed to clustering heavy successful what is referred to arsenic a debased artifact but ceded possession successful bid to lure the absorption into their traps.

En-Nesyri, the striker of the 2022 squad won plaudits for his relentless enactment complaint successful preventing the absorption centre-backs from making casual passes to the midfield and forcing opposing teams into wide areas.

Wider areas of the transportation were packed with standout players. The full-backs, who are inactive portion of the 2026 team, Noussair Mazraoui and Hakimi teamed up with wingers and aimed to triumph the shot and motorboat unsafe counter-attacks.

So effectual were Morocco successful blocking work to the mediate areas of the transportation that opponents – peculiarly Portugal successful the 1-0 quarterfinal nonaccomplishment – dropped heavy to person the ball, inhibiting their quality to attack.

But what happened erstwhile Morocco faced lower-ranked teams?

At 2 successive Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments, Morocco failed to assistance the trophy, with an exit successful the Round of 16 (2023) and a 1-0 nonaccomplishment successful the 2025 edition, which they hosted.

The last was a peculiarly testy affair, with Senegal seeing a extremity ruled retired successful the dying moments of the lucifer earlier Morocco were awarded a penalty.

Incensed, the Senegalese marched disconnected the pitch. Although Morocco missed the punishment and mislaid the lucifer 1-0, they were declared AFCON champions aft the on-field effect was declared void and Morocco were handed a 3-0 forfeit by CAF.

The effect was aboriginal reversed and Morocco were declared champions nether contentious circumstances.

To marque matters worse, Morocco faced a tournament-long allegation that the referees favoured Morocco. The hosts did not assistance their origin by requesting and receiving a alteration of referee earlier their quarterfinal brushwood against Cameroon.

Morocco of 2026: Faith successful younker and offence

Despite the arguable AFCON win, unit kept mounting connected Regragui with fans comparing the elder squad with younger, much palmy Moroccan sides.

Under the inferior squad manager Tarek Sektioui, Morocco bagged a bronze-medal decorativeness astatine the Paris Olympics 2024, arsenic good arsenic lifting the winners’ trophies astatine the African Nations Championship 2024 and the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 with wholly antithetic squads.

Similarly, Mohammed Ouhabi enjoyed occurrence with the younker squad by winning the FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2025.

In a infinitesimal of deja vu, a last-minute coaching alteration was made successful the lead-up to the World Cup. Regragui was retired and Ouhabi was successful with the purpose of playing an expansive, alternatively than defensive, marque of football.

According to Alrfae, squad enactment has been the biggest indicator of change.

“Ouhabi has picked a batch of young players,” adding: “Partially due to the fact that helium knows them but besides due to the fact that they acceptable his tactical approach.”

Ouhabi relies connected mobile players, each with little profiles, who perpetually power positions and rotate astir the pitch.

The younger squad, with their nimble movements, made an instant interaction successful the World Cup, signaling an awesome 1-1 gully against Brazil successful their opening game.

Experts judge it’s each portion of a semipermanent plan.

“I deliberation Morocco made this alteration with an oculus connected the World Cup they volition beryllium hosting successful 2030,” North African shot writer Maher Mezahi told Al Jazeera.

Indeed, the mean property of Morocco’s starting XI has hovered conscionable beneath 26 years of age. None of the outfield starters are implicit 30 and fractional of them are 25 oregon younger.

In their Round of 32 match, Morocco forced the Dutch to wantonness their benignant of play and tract 5 defenders to neutralise Morocco’s fluid movements.

The change, according to Mezahi, was “an implicit admission” that Morocco were the stronger team.

“The effect proves that the 2022 World Cup was not a fluke and it besides proves that replacing Regragui with Ouhabi was the close decision,” Mezahi added.

From fairytale darlings to divisive contenders

The AFCON 2025 last caused a seismic displacement successful the temper amongst neutral supporters crossed Africa and the Arab World.

Support for the Atlas Lions sank to an all-time low.

In Africa, Morocco was seen arsenic wielding excessively overmuch powerfulness wrong the halls of the African Football Confederation (CAF).

With its glittering caller stadiums, the state has served arsenic a stand-in location for African countries that cannot big matches owed to instability oregon deficiency of facilities that conscionable CAF’s requirements.

Over the past 4 years Liberia, Niger and Congo person each played location qualifiers against Morocco successful Morocco alternatively of their respective location grounds, allowing the 2030 World Cup co-hosts to debar notoriously hard distant fixtures.

But the effect against Brazil successful this World Cup has done wonders to triumph backmost immoderate of the alienated neutral support.

For the archetypal time, an Arab and African squad took the crippled to 1 of the world’s large shot powers and grounds five-time champions.

It has besides cemented Morocco’s presumption arsenic the champion Arab and African squad astatine the World Cup for the 2nd clip successful 4 years.

Although 9 of 10 African teams and 3 of 8 Arab teams progressed to the knockouts, lone 4 remain.

Amid the gloom, Morocco reminded the African and Arab fans wherefore they could inactive triumph shot matches and mend breached hearts, conscionable arsenic they did 4 years ago.

This time, it was the viral video of Noussair Mazraoui with his limb astir Gessime Yassine telling him to commune and convey Allah for his debut extremity against Haiti. It was touching to spot the beardown ties the players support with their religion and culture, contempt being foreign-born and raised.

The mums made a instrumentality too. Ismail Saibari, who struck the winning punishment for Morocco against the Netherlands, ran to the stands to observe with his parent successful a tearful embrace.

Yassine Bono, 1 of the heroes from 2022, was backmost flashing his celebrated grin and winning implicit fans during the tense punishment shootout that ne'er seemed to faze him.

A batch has changed since the past World Cup successful Qatar for the Atlas Lions. Despite the ups and downs, much supporters are jumping backmost connected Morocco’s bandwagon arsenic they again marque a propulsion for the last stages of the tournament.

It is simply a testament to their consistency that Morocco volition commencement arsenic dense favourites against Canada successful the Round of 16 connected Saturday. Should they execute their desired result, the African giants could person their 2022 nemesis and this World Cup’s red-hot squad France waiting successful the quarterfinals.

Morocco’s players bow down successful sujood aft the punishment shootout against the Netherlands [Daniel Becerril/Reuters]