(Reuters) – Following is a statbox on Morocco at the World Cup:
FIFA Ranking: 22
Odds: 200-1
Previous tournaments: Morocco have appeared in five World Cups. Their best performance was in 1986 when they became the first African country to reach the second round, where they lost to a last-gasp goal by eventual finalists West Germany. Since then Morocco have always been eliminated at the group stage.
How they qualified
Morocco cruised comfortably through the African qualifiers, with a perfect record in six games in a group that included Guinea Bissau, Guinea and Sudan. In the playoffs, Morocco beat DR Congo 5-2 on aggregate to reach their sixth World Cup.
Form guide
After securing qualification in March, Morocco lost 3-0 in a friendly against the United States in June, but started their 2023 African Nations Cup qualifiers later in the month with two victories, over South Africa and Liberia. They beat Chile in September before being held to a 0-0 draw by Paraguay in Spain.
(Reporting by Ahmed Maher; Editing by Ken Ferris)
