Morocco have slipped to seventh place in the FIFA world rankings. The drop follows a 1-1 draw with Mali in a friendly played at the Grand Stadium in Tangier on Sunday.
Abdessamad Ezzalzouli opened the scoring for Morocco in the 35th minute. Gaoussou Diarra netted Mali's equaliser in the 77th minute, denying the Atlas Lions a win.
Losing ground
Morocco had previously climbed to fifth globally after wins over Gabon and Lesotho in 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The draw with Mali cost them ranking points, allowing both Portugal and Brazil to overtake them. Portugal moved into fifth with a 2.35-point advantage, while Brazil jumped to sixth with a 1.17-point lead, leaving Morocco in seventh.
The team faced sharp criticism on social media after the match, with a large section of fans targeting head coach Walid Regragui for his tactical and technical choices. Regragui said: "لم يحظ وهبي بثقة شريحة كبيرة من الجماهير التي تعتبره مكونا أكثر منه مدربا."
This ranking setback comes as the national team maintains a strong position in World Cup qualifying, sitting second in their group with 7 points from 3 games. The full qualifying path can be viewed on the standings page.
A tight historical record
This was the second consecutive match in which Morocco failed to beat Mali, following a 1-1 draw in the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Historically, the sides have met 17 times, with Morocco recording 8 wins, 4 losses, and 5 draws.
Despite the result, Morocco remain on a positive trajectory towards World Cup qualification, with their next qualifier at home to Niger on November 11. Upcoming match schedules are available on the fixtures page.
The Atlas Lions face Niger in November, coming off a run of 3 wins and 1 draw in their last 5 official matches.
The original report is at Al Ain
