Morocco briefly reaches 5th place in FIFA rankings, first African nation since 1994

Morocco touched a historic milestone during the 2026 World Cup: after their 1-0 victory over Scotland on Saturday evening in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the Atlas Lions virtually climbed to 5th place in the FIFA rankings, an absolute first for the country and for any African nation since Nigeria’s 5th place finish in May 1994.

This jump in the rankings is the direct result of a solid start to the tournament for Mohamed Ouahbi’s side. After a high-quality 1-1 draw with Brazil on matchday one — which had already allowed them to overtake Portugal (7th) — the victory against Scotland propelled Morocco even higher in the global hierarchy.

The historic moment was short-lived, however. Brazil reclaimed 5th place hours later with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Haiti, relegating Morocco behind the Seleção as expected.

For Achraf Hakimi and his teammates, the real battle now unfolds on the pitch. With two wins in two matches, Morocco is virtually assured of qualifying for the round of 16 before even facing Haiti in the final group stage match. The real question is who will finish first in Group C, which could be decided in a distant duel with Brazil.

If both teams win in this final matchday, goal difference will be decisive: Brazil currently holds a slight advantage (+3 compared to +1 for Morocco). According to simulations by Football Meets Data, Morocco has a 42.1% chance of topping the group.