The Atlas Lions shocked the world in Qatar. Now the Dark Continent wants the trophy.
LUTHMANN NOTE: Enough with the patronizing applause. Morocco did not show up in Qatar as some charity act for global diversity. Morocco showed up and punched world football in the mouth. Belgium went down. Spain went home. Portugal packed its bags. Africa saw it. The Arab world saw it. FIFA’s old aristocracy saw it too, even if they pretended not to. Now comes the harder part. Morocco has to prove 2022 was not destiny, not lightning, not a one-off. It has to become a standard. The next step is not respect. The next step is fear. This piece is “Morocco is Done Asking.”
By Abbas Bombadiko with Matt “Sully” Sullivan
(EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY) – Morocco: What does this African nation need to do to gain respect on the world stage? I am tired of hearing excuses.
I am tired of hearing that Morocco’s run to the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup was a fluke. I am tired of hearing analysts talk endlessly about Brazil, Argentina, France, Germany, and England while treating the rest of us as if we are merely guests at football’s greatest event.
I wear the red jersey of Morocco with pride, but also with anger.
In Qatar, we did something no African nation had ever done before. We did not sneak into the knockout rounds. We did not benefit from luck or an easy path. We earned every step forward. We defeated Belgium. We eliminated Spain. We sent Portugal home. We became the first African and Arab nation ever to reach a World Cup semifinal.
Yet somehow, many people still talk about it as if it were an accident.
What makes that disrespect even harder to accept is that people seem to forget what Morocco was facing before the tournament even began. We were drawn into a group with Croatia, a team that had reached the previous World Cup Final, and Belgium, one of the highest-ranked teams in the world. Most experts confidently predicted that Belgium and Croatia would advance. Morocco, according to many commentators, was expected to battle merely to avoid finishing at the bottom of the group.
Instead, we won the group.
Sometimes, as a player, frustration turns into suspicion. You listen to the endless narratives before tournaments begin. You watch television panels discuss every possible path to glory for the traditional powers while countries like Morocco receive only passing mention. It creates a feeling—whether justified or not—that the football establishment would be perfectly comfortable with us being eliminated early so the familiar giants can continue to dominate the headlines.
Not because of secret conspiracies or hidden agendas, but because expectations themselves can become a barrier. Every prediction, every ranking, every discussion seems built around the assumption that African teams cannot truly belong among football’s elite. In 2022, Morocco shattered that assumption.
But even now, many refuse to admit it.
When European nations win, it is called greatness. When South American nations win, it is called tradition. When Morocco wins, it is called a surprise.
A surprise?
No. A surprise happens once.
What happened in Qatar was the result of decades of sacrifice. It was built by generations of Moroccan players, coaches, families, and supporters. It was forged on streets, schoolyards, and dusty pitches from Casablanca to Marrakech, from Tangier to Agadir. It was built by a football culture that has always believed in itself, even when the world did not.
What truly angers me is that the disrespect extends beyond Morocco. It is directed toward an entire continent.
Africa has more than a billion people. The continent produces extraordinary football talent every year. African players star for the biggest clubs in Europe and around the world. Yet every World Cup cycle we are told that our role is simply to participate while others compete for trophies.
That mentality should have died in 2022.
Morocco carried the hopes of Africa in Qatar, and Africa carried Morocco. When we advanced, celebrations erupted across the continent. People who had never visited Morocco waved our flag because they understood that our victories represented something larger than a single nation. For a brief moment, Africa stood united behind one team.
That is why I believe 2026 can be even bigger.
The world continues to discuss favorites. France. Argentina. Spain. England. Brazil.
Fine.
Let them.
We remember what they said before 2022.
We remember the predictions.
We remember the laughter.
We remember the doubts.
And we remember proving them wrong.
As the 2026 World Cup approaches, I hope every African nation enters the tournament with the same fire that burned inside Morocco in Qatar. Let the experts overlook us again. Let the predictions ignore us again. Let the establishment focus on the usual powers.
Football is changing whether they accept it or not.
The gap is shrinking.
The confidence is growing.
And somewhere deep down, the traditional football powers know it.
They saw what happened in Qatar.
They saw Morocco.
They saw Africa.
And for the first time, they realized that the future of world football may no longer belong exclusively to them.
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