The Japan Times - After AFCON drama, Morocco head to World Cup with big ambitions

The Atlas Lions reached the semi-finals in Qatar, eliminating Spain on penalties in the last 16 and knocking out Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the quarter-finals.

Their remarkable run ended in defeat to France, before they lost the third-place play-off against Croatia.

Morocco were a surprise package then, having only previously made the knockout stage of a World Cup once, when they reached the last 16 in Mexico in 1986.

This time is different: they are ranked eighth in the world, in between the Netherlands and Belgium, and two places above Germany.

At home, supporters want to see their side play more expansive football than the largely defensive style which proved so effective in 2022.

Walid Regragui was the mastermind of Morocco's run in Qatar, but he left the coaching job in March, six weeks after his side lost a chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final to Senegal.

With home advantage, Morocco were favourites to win that competition but appeared to blow it when Brahim Diaz -- their outstanding performer -- failed to score a penalty deep in injury time in the final in Rabat.

Senegal were so furious at the decision to give the spot-kick that most of their players stormed off the pitch.

They eventually came back on, an unsettled Diaz had his kick saved, and Morocco lost 1-0 in extra time.

Having faced criticism from a demanding public and media, Regragui departed to be replaced by Mohamed Ouahbi.

Born and raised in Brussels, Ouahbi was promoted to the top coaching role after overseeing Morocco's triumph at the Under-20 World Cup last October.

Days after his appointment, the Confederation of African Football stripped Senegal of the AFCON crown as a punishment for their walk-off protest, and handed the title to Morocco.

An outraged Senegal are challenging that decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and the whole affair casts a cloud over both teams as they head to the United States.

They might not face each other at the World Cup, although curiously they will be based just a short distance apart in New Jersey.

- 'Go all the way' -

But Ouahbi and his team –- led by Paris Saint-Germain's brilliant right-back Achraf Hakimi, the reigning African player of the year -- must try to focus solely on the challenge in store at the World Cup.

They begin with a mouth-watering clash against Brazil, before also facing Scotland and Haiti in the group phase.

"The Atlas Lions have a real and serious chance at this World Cup. The current team is more experienced and more talented than four years ago," insists Oussama Berraoui, a Moroccan football pundit.

Morocco's transformation into a serious player on the international stage has been achieved thanks to two main pillars.

They have a successful youth programme at the Mohammed VI academy, the national training centre just outside the capital Rabat. And they have tapped into the rich seam of talented players born in Europe with Moroccan heritage.

Hakimi is one of them. Diaz is another, and there are also Noussair Mazraoui, Bilal El Khannouss and Neil El Aynaoui.

The latest is Ayoub Bouaddi, the Lille midfielder and France Under-21 captain who has just chosen to represent his parents' country at senior level.

"When you look at the image Morocco has around the world and the players we have, we can dream," Ouahbi, the new coach, said in an interview with Moroccan channel Arryadia.

"This is football so we could also go out in the first round. But believe me, I think we can go all the way and win a World Cup."

Morocco are already building towards the next World Cup in 2030, which the country will co-host with Spain and Portugal.

They want to host the final in four years' time, in a new 115,000-seat mega-stadium under construction near Casablanca.

So they will want to feature in that final too, but they head to the United States with big ambitions despite the drama of recent months.

K.Yamaguchi--JT