Morocco is the first African nation to book a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after cruising to a commanding 5–0 victory over Niger on Friday night.
The Atlas Lions, who reached the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup, dominated from the first whistle. Niger’s hopes were dented early when Abdoul Goumey received a red card in the 26th minute after picking up two yellow cards, leaving the West Africans with ten men.
With the numerical advantage, Morocco broke the deadlock in the 29th minute through Ismail Saibari. Just nine minutes later, Saibari struck again—this time assisted by Ballon d’Or contender Achraf Hakimi—to put Morocco 2–0 up at halftime.
After the break, Ayoub El Kaabi extended the lead in the 51st minute following a clever pass from Youssef Belammari. Substitute Hamza Igamane added a fourth in the 69th minute, courtesy of Nayef Aguerd’s assist, before Azzedine Ounahi sealed the win with a fifth goal to cap a dominant display.
Morocco now sits top of Group E with 18 points, having won all six of their matches to secure qualification. Their next fixture is against Zambia on Monday at the Levy Mwanawansa Stadium in Ndola. For coach Walid Regragui, the match will be more of a formality, providing an opportunity to test new players as he earlier stated.
Zambia, meanwhile, will be fighting for second place. The Chipolopolo sit third with 6 points from five games, while Tanzania are second with 10 points in six matches after drawing 1-1 with Congo Brazzaville on Friday. Congo are fourth with just one point.
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