Scotland play their second World Cup Group C match against Morocco in Foxborough on Friday.
Here, the Press Association's Anthony Brown runs the rule over the African champions.
World Cup pedigree
This is Morocco’s seventh visit to a World Cup since they first appeared at the global showpiece in Mexico in 1970. They suffered group-stage exits in four of their first five World Cups, including at France 98 when they defeated Scotland 3-0 in their final match before exiting the tournament. Their best performance came in Qatar in 2022 when they reached the semi-finals before losing 2-0 to France.
Players
Morocco’s squad is made up predominantly of players from top-flight European clubs. Right-back and captain Achraf Hakimi, a regular starter for Paris St Germain, is the jewel in the crown, along with Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz. Ismael Salibari of PSV Eindhoven, Stuttgart’s Bilal El Khannouss and Roma’s Neil El Aynaoui are among their main goal threats.
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Head coach
Mohamed Ouahbi has had little time to prepare for the tournament after being appointed as Walid Regragui’s successor in March. The Belgium-born 49-year-old began his coaching career in his early 20s as a youth coach with Maccabi Brussels before moving on to Anderlecht, where he worked in their academy for several years. Ouahbi has earned the chance to take Morocco to the World Cup after successful spells of their the national team’s under-20 and under-23 sides, including an Under-20 World Cup triumph last year.
Form
Morocco are formidable opponents for Steve Clarke’s side, ranked seventh in the world and buoyed by winning the Africa Cup of Nations in January, albeit in contentious fashion. Their 1-1 draw against Brazil in their tournament opener last Saturday maintained an unbeaten run that has lasted almost two and a half years, since they lost to South Africa at AFCON in January 2024.
