With a great victory over Niger, Morocco is the first African representative to win a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

(NLDO) - Not the "giants" Egypt, Ivory Coast or Tunisia, Morocco is the first African representative to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Welcoming Niger at home in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Africa on the morning of September 6, Morocco made a special impression. Niger had only 10 players on the field since the 26th minute after Boubacar Goumey received his second yellow card of the match. Playing with one more player, having home field advantage and being rated much higher than the opponent, Morocco had no difficulty in making a difference.

Ismael Saibari (11) scored a double in the first half

The match was completely in favor of Morocco. The North African team showed superiority in both technique and fighting spirit, taking the lead early in the first half. Ismael Saibari shone with a double in the 29th and 38th minutes, setting the foundation for a big win.

Ayoub El Kaabi (20) increased the score to 3-0

After the break, Ayoub El Kaabi made it 3-0 in the 51st minute, confirming the home team's dominance. Coming off the bench, Hamza Igamane scored Morocco's fourth in the 69th minute before Azzedine Ounahi finished the scoring feast with a crowd-pleasing strike in the 85th minute.

Hamza Igamane (21) and Azzedine Ounahi (8) in the arms of teammates after scoring

In the end, Morocco won a convincing 5-0 victory over Niger. This result helped Morocco have a series of 6 consecutive wins, reaching 18 absolute points and officially taking the top spot in Group E before the last two matches.

This also means that coach Walid Regragui and his team will become the first African representative to win a ticket to the 2026 World Cup, a tournament that will expand to 48 teams.

This is also a continuation of the impressive journey that Morocco has built since the 2022 World Cup, where they made history by reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time.

Morocco is the first African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup

Completing the goal early will give Morocco more time to prepare for the journey ahead, while also creating conditions to test personnel and tactics. With an even squad, many stars playing in Europe and a group of young players with great potential, Morocco shows that they not only want to participate but also aim to create new miracles.

Moroccan football creates miracle by reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup

In the context of many African "giants" such as Nigeria, Cameroon or Senegal still struggling to compete, Morocco's early ticket has a special meaning. It affirms its pioneering position, continues to raise the image of African football on the world map, and at the same time sends a strong message: Morocco is ready to continue writing the fairy tale in the US, Canada and Mexico in the summer of 2026.

More than a third of the 48 places in the 2026 World Cup have been determined. In addition to the first three places automatically belonging to the co-host teams of Canada, the United States and Mexico, there are 6 Asian teams that have won tickets (Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan) along with 6 South American representatives (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay).

Oceania's only official ticket belongs to New Zealand while Morocco helps Africa have its first representative in the list of 17 teams that will soon qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/dai-thang-niger-morocco-la-dai-dien-chau-phi-dau-tien-gianh-ve-du-world-cup-2026-19625090610472293.htm