FIFA rankings: Morocco becomes first Arab country in the top five
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Al Jazeera
Morocco climbs two places to fifth in the FIFA world rankings, becoming the first Arab country to make the men’s top five, ahead of Brazil and Portugal. The Moroccan team maintains a perfect record in qualifiers for AFCON 2027 and has a nine-point lead in its group, according to Al Jazeera.
Morocco enters the top five of the FIFA men’s rankings on Sunday 15 November, gaining two places. It becomes the first Arab country to reach this position and overtakes Brazil and Portugal on points, according to Al Jazeera.
Morocco is also the first African country since Nigeria, in 1994, to hold fifth place in the world. The national team has done no better than its semi-final at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but it is the first African and Arab nation to reach two consecutive World Cup quarter-finals, eliminated each time by France.
In qualifiers for AFCON 2027, Morocco remains unbeaten: it beat Niger 5-0 on Friday in Rabat and has a nine-point lead at the top of Group A.
The title of the January Africa Cup of Nations remains disputed. Senegal, beaten 1-0 after extra time in the final in Rabat, has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where a hearing is scheduled. After Senegal walked off the pitch for fourteen minutes, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ruled the match lost by forfeit and awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory.
Morocco had already dropped to seventh place on 7 October, before this two-place climb.
