The Morocco national football team is preparing for the FIFA World Cup 2026, their seventh finals appearance. Morocco first appeared on the global stage in Mexico 1970, but before reaching the semi-finals in 2022, they had only once previously advanced beyond the group stage, in Mexico 1986. Even 40 years ago, the Atlas Lions were setting new standards, becoming the first African and Arab team to reach the round of 16 in World Cup history. Can Morocco make a splash on the global stage again? You can be in North America in person to find out. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, covering 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. A total of 104 matches will be played over 34 days across North America. For the first time, the tournament will feature 48 teams and will be hosted by three countries jointly. The host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are as follows: Canada: Toronto and Vancouver. Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey. United States: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. Walid Regragui's team will need to be fully focused from the start this summer, as they have one of the toughest opening tasks. Morocco begins its group stage campaign against Brazil in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It's worth noting that the five-time World Cup winners have not failed to advance from the group stage since 1966, despite losing to African opponents Cameroon during the opening stage in 2022. They will face Scotland in their next match in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Scotland returns to the World Cup for the first time since 1998, when they failed to win any of their group stage matches. On paper, it seems that Morocco's easiest test in the group will come in the final match, where they will head to Atlanta to face Haiti, which had its only previous World Cup appearance 52 years ago. Morocco has not taken its foot off the gas since its impressive run in the previous World Cup, and currently occupies 11th place in the FIFA world rankings. They have won all eight of their World Cup qualifying matches and have lost only twice in the last two years. In addition to recently winning the Arab Cup, Morocco has also won the African Nations Championship title last summer. The Atlas Lions have continued to shine under the leadership of Walid Regragui, who has made a seamless transition from coaching a local club to managing the national team. Since taking over in August 2022, Morocco has won over 70% of the matches they have played. Regragui has a wealth of talented individuals to work with, including a core of experienced players such as Ayoub El Kaabi, Sofyan Amrabat, Noussair Mazraoui, and of course Achraf Hakimi, the winner of the 2025 African Golden Ball and the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain.