2026 World Cup: Morocco Most Impressive African Team, Football Fan Says

A football fan, Michael Chinonso Otuma, has said Morocco remains the African team that has impressed him the most at the ongoing 2026 World Cup tournament.

He made this known in a WhatsApp voice note interview with Next Africa Daily on Tuesday night.

According to him, Morocco’s style of play has shown clear improvement compared to how African teams were previously known to play in major competitions.

“Morocco has impressed me the most because of the way they are playing. They are not playing like the normal African way people expect. They have improved a lot,” he said.

He added that the Moroccan team looks more organised and confident on the ball, and if they continue in that direction, they could go even further in future international tournaments.

He also noted that African football in general is gradually improving, with more teams becoming competitive on the world stage.

On Africa’s greatest achievement at the World Cup, Otuma pointed to Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, describing it as the highest level any African nation has reached so far.

“That is the biggest achievement Africa has recorded at the World Cup. Morocco became the first African country to reach the semi-finals before losing to France,” he said.

He said that achievement remains a turning point for African football, as it proved that African teams can compete strongly against top European nations when properly organised.

Otuma also spoke on the challenges facing African football, saying that poor management from football federations remains one of the biggest problems affecting progress.

He explained that issues such as unpaid player bonuses, poor welfare conditions, and lack of proper planning often affect the morale of national team players during major tournaments.

He mentioned countries like Senegal and Nigeria, saying that in some cases, players have had to deal with payment issues even after representing their countries, which he believes should not be happening at this level of football. According to him, such situations reduce team spirit and affect performance on the pitch.

He also noted that some players of African descent prefer to represent European countries because of better structure, organisation, and treatment compared to what is obtainable in some African football systems.

“We already have world-class players, but many of them don’t play for African countries because of how things are handled,” he said.

He further stressed that African football authorities need to improve how they manage players, reduce corruption in the system, and pay more attention to youth development by identifying talents early.

Otuma added that Africa does not lack talent, but rather needs better systems to manage and retain those talents for national teams.

He believes that if these issues are addressed properly, African teams will become stronger and more competitive in future World Cup tournaments, with better chances of going beyond previous records.

He said that consistent improvement, discipline, and proper management are key to taking African football to the next level.