Despite losing 2-0 to Didier Deschamps' side to end a historic run at the tournament, with becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup's final four, Morocco are the underdogs who were 'the Rocky of this World Cup'.
Morocco has defeated Belgium (world number 2), Spain (7), and, most recently, Portugal (9) without conceding a goal. They also held Croatia to a goalless draw in their Group stage, the 2018 finalists also reaching the semi-finals this time around. In fact, their only goal this tournament was an own goal in a 2-1 win over Canada.
It is nothing less than miraculous. Walid Regragui, the team's coach, was appointed only on August 31 - and when he was appointed, the shaved-head mastermind was mockingly dubbed "avocado head" by pundits in the northern African nation.
On Morocco's miraculous run, Regragui has proven all the doubters wrong, and FIFA even photoshopped an avocado next to his head, with a miniature football inside, in a playful dig at his detractors.
Many Moroccans questioned the Moroccan Football Association (FRMF)'s decision to appoint Regragui as head coach of the Atlas Lions because of the appointment's "critical" timing, as well as Regragui’s lack of experience, despite the fact that he previously performed well with the Wydad Athletic Club.
After becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals, Walid Regragui urged Morocco to keep dreaming of making even more history.
Despite the fact that Regragui was regarded as a nameless and inexperienced coach, one of Regragui's most notable accomplishments has been reintegrating Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech and Bayern Munich's Noussair Mazraoui back into the squad after international exiles for both players, both of whom are now crucial to Morocco.
"What's important for future generations is that we've shown that it is possible for an African team to get to the World Cup semi-finals. Why not make it the final?" coach Regragui said immediately after Portugal's victory.
"I was asked three or four games ago if we could win the World Cup. 'Why not?' I reasoned. We can fantasize. Why shouldn't we fantasize? You won't get anywhere if you don't dream. It is completely free of charge."
"European countries are used to winning the World Cup, so we'll have to try to get in there - and go above and beyond."
Rocky Balboa was able to receive three Oscars, a Golden Globe, several other awards, and the admiration of the entire world over the years. And Walid Regragui chose that short but big-hearted amateur boxer who came out of the Philadelphia suburbs and became a world champion to compare and explain his amazing Morocco.
Regragui, born in France, was a former defensive player who played for clubs such as Toulouse, AC Ajaccio, Grenoble, and Racing Santander in the French league. For his final season as a player, he moved from Grenoble to the Moroccan club Moghreb Tétouan in the summer of 2009.
In September 2012, he worked as an assistant coach with the Moroccan national team and briefly with the Qatari sports club Al Duhail after retiring. The following year, he was appointed head coach of Moroccan football club Fath Union Sport for the 2014-15 season.
Growing up, Regragui's first connection to his Moroccan heritage was school vacations spent visiting relatives in Morocco.
Moreover, just like Regragui, many of his teammates were born abroad: 14 of their 26 players, the most of any nation.
Morocco launched a concerted effort in 2014 to persuade foreign-born talent to represent the country of their ancestors rather than the country of their birth.
Early the following year, Ziyech was on the verge of joining the Netherlands national team, but he chose to leave their training camp and abandon the country. He made his Morocco debut later that year and has played an important role in Morocco’s rapid rise, scoring against Canada and then converting a penalty in a shootout win over Spain.
Regragui had been named head coach of Moroccan sports club Wydad AC's Botola team by mid-2021. Walid Regragui, dubbed "The Moroccan Guardiola," led Wydad to one of their best seasons in club history. It would be unfair to view the young coach's CAF Champions League victory as the be-all and end-all of his football achievements, not least because he has already worked on two continents.
Walid Regragui, 46, signed a contract with Morocco's football federation in August 2022, which runs through the 2026 World Cup. Former coach Vahid Halilhodzic was fired due to "differences and divergent visions" with the federation.
Regragui, a relative newcomer to coaching, has coached 200 games in his career, including a stint at Qatari team Al-Duhail in addition to stints at Fath and Wydad.
Regragui is the second Moroccan to lead the Atlas Lions in the world's biggest tournament. The first was Abdellah Blinda at USA 1994, the country’s third World Cup.
Walid Regragui and his charges arrived in Qatar as underdogs in a Group that included Belgium, Croatia, and Canada, as well as star-studded Belgium.
A 0-0 draw with Croatia was followed by a surprise 2-0 win over Belgium before the Atlas Lions finished Group leaders with a 2-1 win over Canada.
The match against Spain in the Round of 16 was up next.
Over 120 minutes, a compact and disciplined defensive performance against Luis Enrique's Spain was capped by a 3-0 penalty shootout victory to advance to the Quarter Finals.
After that, the North Africans defeated Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-finals to become the first African country to reach the final four in the tournament's history. Regragui is also the first African coach to lead an African team to the World Cup semi-finals.
Global football body FIFA described Regragui as “Morocco’s hero at Qatar 2022” and applauded Lekjaa’s decision to appoint him.
“The spirit Morocco has shown in Qatar, the renewed bonds within the team and the significant impact of returnees Ziyech and Mazraoui have all proven Lekjaa’s decision to be absolutely correct. It is also evidence that a united dressing room can be as important as tactics or coaching,” FIFA said in a statement.
FIFA emphasized Moroccan player development and improved performance over the years, while crediting Moroccan fans for playing "a hugely important role in their national team's success" by turning out in their thousands to support them in Qatar.
French coach Didier Deschamps, who won the World Cup four years ago and had to get past Morocco to return to the final, said his opponents' success is no fluke.
"Morocco deserves everyone's recognition," he said. "When you face the teams they have met, had their results and conceded only one goal in five games, you can no longer say that it's a surprise. They have earned their place."
Regragui has embraced his team's longshot status by comparing it to the ultimate underdog.
