Morocco players celebrate beating Canada to reach the next round during the 2022 FIFA World Cup match between Canada and Morocco held at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on 1 December 2022 © Alain Guy Suffo/BackpagePix
Monday May 04, 2026. 15:00
Brazil and Real Madrid legend Marcelo has explained that Morocco’s feat of reaching the 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal was no “miracle” but rather the result of years of planning and hard work.
The Atlas Lions made history at the previous World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first African team to reach the final four of the global competition.
Though they were beaten by France in the semis, and then succumbed to Croatia in the third-place playoff, it was still an incredible breakthrough by Morocco – with many pundits hailing their achievement as a miracle.
Marcelo, however, argues that such praise undermines years of growth and improvement from the North African nation and her players.
“I don’t think Morocco achieved a miracle at the last World Cup. I believe they have been good for a long time, but since World Cups happen every four years, many people don’t pay enough attention to national teams,” the former left-back told Asharq Sports.
“The Moroccan national team has had great success for many years, and there are many outstanding players who perform very well with their clubs, which is why I don’t consider it a miracle.”
He added, “The players of the Moroccan national team train well and perform at a high level with their clubs, and they are capable of achieving very good results at the World Cup.”
Morocco will look to make another strong showing at the World Cup when they represent Africa at the 2026 tournament. The Atlas Lions will face Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in Group C matches on June 13, 19 and 24 respectively.