First African team to qualify for World Cup

On the morning of September 6, Morocco defeated Niger 5-0, thereby winning tickets to 3 consecutive World Cups for the first time in history.

Morocco thrived in qualifying.

Ismael Saibari's brace and goals from El Kaabi, Hamza Igamane and Azzedine Ounahi helped Morocco win easily at home in the seventh match of Group E, the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Africa.

Achraf Hakimi and his teammates became the first representatives of the black continent to win tickets to North and Central America next summer. Morocco has 18 points after a perfect record, 10 points more than the second-placed team, Tanzania, while there are only 2 matches left in the qualifying round.

This is also the first time in history that the North African team has participated in 3 consecutive World Cups (2018, 2022 and 2026). With a balanced squad of players in all lines and a cohesive playing style, coach Walid Regragui and his team are expected to continue the success of the tournament that took place 3 years ago, when they won 4th place overall.

Morocco's early World Cup qualification was also thanks to Eritrea's withdrawal from the African qualifying round. As a result, Hakimi and his teammates only have to play 8 matches, instead of 10 like in other groups.

While Morocco has secured a ticket to the World Cup early, other big names in Africa such as Egypt, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Senegal,... are not sure of qualifying tickets. The gap between them and the competing teams is only a few points, while there are still 3 matches left.

As of the morning of September 6, a total of 14 teams, not including the three co-host countries, have qualified for the World Cup, including Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia, New Zealand and Morocco.

Source: https://znews.vn/doi-tuyen-chau-phi-dau-tien-co-ve-du-world-cup-post1582931.html