The Moroccan national football team, known as the Atlas Lions, represents Morocco in men's international football. It is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), the governing body for football in Morocco.
One of Africa's most successful national football teams, Morocco has won four CAF continental titles, including the 1976 African Cup of Nations and three African Nations Championships (2018, 2020 and 2024). The team has also participated in the FIFA World Cup six times.
At Marmon Sports, you will find the official jerseys, shorts, and accessories of the Moroccan national team, designed by Puma, the official partner of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).
The official Puma kits are designed to proudly represent the identity and history of Moroccan football. Marmon Sports guarantees the authenticity of all its official products. Each outfit comes directly from the collaboration between the FRMF and Puma, ensuring the best quality.
Early History
The Moroccan national team was founded in 1928 and played its first game on 22 December of that year against France's B team, losing 2-1. This team, formed by the best footballers of the LMFA, or the Moroccan Football League, was active in friendly matches against other North African teams such as Algeria and Tunisia.
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These associations of settler clubs and local footballers clashed with each other in a tournament that Morocco won several times, such as in 1948-1949. On 7 October 1954, the French Football Association and the Maghreb inhabitants organized a charity match to raise funds for the families of the victims of an earthquake in the Algerian region of Orléansville (now Chlef).
On 19 October 1957, at the second edition of the Arab Games in Lebanon, Morocco made its debut as an independent country against Iraq, drawing 3-3. At the tournament, Morocco recorded their first-ever win, defeating Libya 5-1, then beat Tunisia 3-1 to reach the semi-finals. After a 1-1 draw with Syria, lots were drawn to decide who would progress to the final, and Syria were selected at Morocco's expense.
Between 1957 and 1958, Morocco held numerous friendly matches against the National Liberation Front team, the representative of Algeria before its independence in 1958. In 1959, the team took part for the first time in an international competition, the qualifying rounds of the 1960 Rome Olympics. Drawn into a group with Tunisia and Malta, Morocco finished second on goal difference and failed to progress.
In 1960, Morocco competed in World Cup qualification for the first time. Drawn against Tunisia in the first round, Morocco won the first leg 2-1, while Tunisia won the second leg by the same score. A play-off held in Palermo, Italy finished in a draw, so a coin toss was used to determine who progressed. Morocco won the toss, and beat Ghana 1-0 on aggregate to reach the inter-continental play-offs.
The following year, Morocco held the Pan-Arab Games and won the football tournament, winning all five of their matches. In 1963, the Moroccan team came close to qualifying for the African Cup of Nations; in the decisive play-off against Tunisia, they were defeated 4-1 in Tunis and won 4-2 at home, therefore being eliminated.
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1964 Tokyo Olympics
Morocco participated in the final phase of an international competition for the first time at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Having qualified under the leadership of manager Mohamed Massoun, the Moroccans were included in a group of three teams due to the withdrawal of North Korea.
1970 World Cup
In 1966, the Moroccan Football Association joined the Confederation of African Football, and the team participated in qualifying for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Their debut eliminated Senegal (1-0) and Tunisia after a draw. In the final round of the preliminaries, against Sudan and Nigeria, Morocco obtained five points, finishing ahead of Nigeria. Morocco thus became the first African national team to qualify for the World Cup after having played in an elimination tournament.
On 3 June 1970, against West Germany, Morocco opened the scoring with a goal in the 21st minute of the game scored by Houmane Jarir. In the second half, however, the Germans scored twice and won 2-1. The Atlas Lions then played against Peru, conceding three goals in ten minutes to lose 3-0. On 11 June 1970, the eliminated Moroccans drew with Bulgaria 1-1.
1972 Africa Cup of Nations and Olympics
In 1972 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, the Atlas Lions ousted Algeria, then faced Egypt, defeating them 3-0 in the first leg and suffering a 3-2 defeat on the way back. However, the aggregate win meant they qualified for the final phase of the continental tournament for the first time. In the group stage, they accumulated three 1-1 draws against Congo, Sudan and Zaire and were eliminated in the first round.
Qualifying for the 1972 Olympics in Munich with two wins and two draws, Morocco debuted in Group A with a goalless draw against the United States, then lost 3-0 against hosts West Germany and defeated Malaysia 6-0 with a Faras hat-trick, thereby advancing to the second round.
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1974 World Cup Qualifiers
In the 1974 World Cup qualifiers, Morocco successfully passed three qualifying rounds before entering the final stage alongside Zambia and Zaire. Losing 4-0 away against Zambia, the Moroccans bounced back in the second game, defeating the same opponent 2-0 at home. They then went to Zaire for their third game but lost 3-0, conceding all three goals in the second half, with Faras leaving the field due to injury.
Morocco filed an appeal, trying to get the match to be replayed; it was dismissed by FIFA. In protest, Morocco withdrew from the qualifiers causing the Atlas Lions to miss their final game at home against Zaire which had already qualified for the finals, with FIFA awarding Zaire a 2-0 win on walkover. For the same reason, Morocco also decided not to take part in the 1974 African Cup of Nations qualification. As a result, in 1974, Morocco played only two games, both against Algeria, achieving a 2-0 win and a 0-0 draw.
1976 African Cup of Nations Victory
Morocco, coached by the Romanian Virgil Mărdărescu and captained by Faras, took the continental throne at 1976 African Cup of Nations, in only the country's second participation in the competition. After failing to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, they also missed the 1978 and 1982 tournaments.
1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico
Morocco qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, and topped a group consisting Portugal, England and Poland, thanks to two draws against the English and Polish and a 3-1 win against the Portuguese. However, they were narrowly eliminated by West Germany in the first knockout round, thanks to a goal from Lothar Matthäus one minute from the end of regulation time.
Two years later, the Moroccan team presented itself at the 1988 African Cup of Nations as a host country with high expectations. Failure to qualify for the 1990 FIFA World Cup opened a period of crisis. In the 1992 African Cup of Nations, the team was eliminated in the first round. They then did not participate in the 1994 or 1996 African Cup tournaments.
2004 African Cup of Nations
Morocco took part in the 2004 African Cup of Nations, drawn into Group D defeating Nigeria 1-0, defeating Benin 4-0 and drawing 1-1 with South Africa.
2020 African Nations Championship
In 2014, Morocco debuted in the African Nations Championship after failing to qualify in the 2009 and 2011 editions. At the 2020 African Nations Championship in Cameroon, Morocco won their second CHAN title, in its second consecutive final appearance. Captained by Ayoub El Kaabi, they defeated Togo (1-0), Rwanda (0-0), the Uganda (5-2), Zambia (3-1), and Cameroon (4-0) on the way to a final against Mali in Yaoundé.
2021 FIFA Arab Cup
In December 2021, Morocco started its venture at the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup's Group C, along with Jordan, Palestine and Saudi Arabia.
2022 FIFA World Cup
After qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup by winning the third round of CAF qualifiers, the team was drawn in Group F along with Croatia, Belgium, and Canada. After holding previous runners-up Croatia to a 0-0 draw and defeating Belgium 2-0, a 2-1 win over Canada meant they finished top of the group and advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 1986. In the round of 16, they met Spain, drawing 0-0.
Record-Breaking Streak in 2025
In October 2025, Morocco broke the world record for the longest winning streak in international football, surpassing Spain’s previous mark of 15 consecutive victories set between June 2008 and June 2009. With a 1-0 win over Congo in Rabat, Morocco extended their unbeaten run to 16 straight wins across all competitions, including World Cup qualifiers and friendlies. The streak, which began in June 2024, is ongoing, with Morocco continuing to extend their record as of October 2025.
Stadiums and Colors
From 2011, the Atlas Lions played most of their matches in the new Marrakesh Stadium, which has a capacity of 45,240 seats. During Ezzaki Badou's tenure as coach from 2014 to 2016, Morocco played most of its matches at the Adrar Stadium in Agadir, which has a capacity of 45,480. Morocco's home colours are most red shirts and green shorts and socks.
Morocco's national football team has participated in the World Cup six times.
The Atlas Lions from Africa | History of Morocco National Football Team
Key Achievements of the Moroccan National Football Team
| Tournament | Achievements |
|---|---|
| African Cup of Nations | Winner: 1976 |
| African Nations Championship | Winner: 2018, 2020, 2024 |
| FIFA World Cup | Qualified: 1970, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2018, 2022 |
| FIFA World Cup | Semi-Finals: 2022 |
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