World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: Morocco in Group E; Performance at Qatar hailed by FIFA & CAF Chiefs

Morocco has been drawn in Group E of the African qualifiers for the World Cup 2026 alongside Eritrea, Niger, Tanzania, Congo and Zambia.

The 2026 world event will be jointly organized by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

The draw of these qualifiers took place on Thursday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on the sidelines of the 45th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The opening ceremony was attended by CAF president, Patrice Motsepe, FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, Ivorian Prime Minister Patrick Achi Jerôme and presidents of African federations, including Fouzi Lekjaa, chairman of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).

During the CAF General Assembly, Gianni Infantino hailed the Atlas Lions’ performance at the Qatar World Cup 2022, during which the Moroccan national team reached the semi-finals.

Gianni Infantino took the opportunity to laud the legends and champions of Africa for the magnificent page of soccer they offer the continent and the world. “Our role is to provide you with the infrastructure to enable you to shine in competitions,” he added.

For his part, CAF president Patrice Motsepe emphasized that “Morocco’s qualification for the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is the first such achievement by an African nation. It demonstrates a strong improvement in the competitiveness of African soccer at world level, and allows us to believe that our objective of having an African nation win the World Cup is within reach”, he noted.

CAF president who expressed pride at the historic results achieved by Morocco, also hailed the performances of Senegal, Cameroon, Tunisia and Ghana at the Qatar World Cup.

Motsepe also highlighted the success of AFCON(U23), held in Morocco and won by the Atlas Cubs against Egypt 2-1.