Beat Niger, Morocco Secures 2026 World Cup Tickets

JAKARTA - Morocco confirmed its move to the 2026 World Cup finals after appearing dominant and crushing Niger with a landslide score of 5-0. This victory was won in the sixth match of Group E of the African zone World Cup Qualification at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Sunday 7 September 2025 in the morning WIB.

The Atlas Lions looked convincing from the start. Statistics noted that they fired 24 shots with 13 of them pointing right at the goal. On the other hand, Niger was only able to reply with two attempts throughout the game to no avail.

Young midfielder Ismael Saibari is in the spotlight after scoring two consecutive goals in the 29th and 38th minutes. Three additional goals were contributed by Ayoub El Kaabi, Hamza Igamane, and Azzedine Ounahi, respectively.

These results make the host public soluble in euphoria, as well as affirm Morocco's quality as one of the strengths of African football.

With this victory, Morocco is firmly at the top of Group E with a perfect record, which is six wins from six matches. They collected 18 points, eight points ahead of Tanzania in second place.

This situation ensured that Morocco could no longer be overtaken even though there were still two remaining matches. This means that they are the first African team to confirm tickets to the 2026 World Cup.

For Morocco, this will be their third consecutive appearance in the world's biggest football event. This success also continued their momentum in Qatar 2022, when it made history as the first African country to penetrate the semifinals.

At that time, Hakim Ziyech and his friends' steps at the World Cup had just stopped at the hands of France with a 0-2 defeat.

To date, Morocco is listed as the 17th team to secure a place in the 2026 World Cup. They will join the three host countries, namely the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as a number of other teams that have qualified first.

Meanwhile, Africa still leaves eight automatic tickets for other group winners. In addition, the four best runners-up teams also still have the opportunity to go through the intercontinental playoffs.