Nickname(s) | أُسُودالأطلس / Igrzamn n Atlasi (Atlas Lions) |
---|---|
Association | Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) |
Confederation | CAF (Africa) |
Sub-confederation | UNAF (North Africa) |
Head coach | Hervé Renard |
Most caps | Noureddine Naybet (115) |
Top scorer | Ahmed Faras |
Home stadium |
Stade Adrar, Agadir Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech |
FIFA code | MAR |
FIFA ranking | |
Current | 48 9 (9 February 2017) |
Highest | 10 (April 1998) |
Lowest | 95 (September 2010) |
Elo ranking | |
Current | 60 (9 February 2017) |
Highest | 17 (December 1998) |
Lowest | 81 (May 2013) |
First international | |
Morocco 3–3 Iraq (Lebanon; 19 October 1957) |
|
Biggest win | |
Morocco 13–1 Saudi Arabia (Morocco; 6 September 1961) |
|
Biggest defeat | |
Hungary 6–0 Morocco (Japan; 11 October 1964) |
|
World Cup | |
Appearances | 4 (first in 1970) |
Best result | Round of 16, 1986 |
Africa Cup of Nations | |
Appearances | 16 (first in 1972) |
Best result | Champions, 1976 |
The Morocco national football team nicknamed the Lions of the Atlas, is the national team of Morocco. It is currently managed by Hervé Renard.
Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and England. They were also the first African team to make it to second round barely losing to eventual runners-up West Germany 1–0 in 1986. They also came within two minutes of moving out of the group stage of the 1998 World Cup, Kjetil Rekdal's late winning goal for Norway against Brazil eliminating them.
After a decade-long drought, glory came back in 2012 for the Moroccan national team in when they were victorious in the 2012 Arab Nations Cup defeating Libya in the final. On 5 February 2015, The CAF Executive Committee decided to suspend the Morocco national football team from the next two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, 2017 and 2019, and to impose on the Royal Moroccan Football Federation the regulatory fine of US$1 million, along with the sum of 8.05 million Euros in compensation for all material damage sustained by CAF, stakeholders and partners as a result of the decision not to host 2015 edition. However, the ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, meaning Morocco may enter the tournaments.