Overview
4 years after the miracle of reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, the Moroccan team continues to enter the biggest tournament on the planet with the position of one of the most formidable teams outside the championship candidate group.
The North African team once made history when it became the first African representative to reach the World Cup semi-finals after impressive victories against Spain and Portugal in Qatar. That success helped Morocco completely change its position in the world football scene.
Under the guidance of coach Mohamed Ouahbi, the "Atlas Lions" are in extremely impressive form. Morocco is currently on a 27-match unbeaten streak in all competitions since the defeat to Kenya at the African Nations Championship in August 2025.
Not only that, they were also recently awarded the African Cup championship in March, and also completed the World Cup qualifiers with a perfect record. Against opponents such as Niger, Tanzania and Congo, Morocco scored 22 goals after 8 matches and easily won a ticket to North America.
However, the real challenge only begins at the 2026 World Cup when Morocco falls into Group C with Brazil, Scotland and Haiti. Therefore, the clash with Norway is considered an important opportunity to test their ability against higher-class opponents.
On the opposite side, Norway is emerging as one of the most notable phenomena in European football.
After 28 years of waiting, the Northern European team finally returned to the World Cup thanks to an excellent qualifying campaign. The Stale Solbakken team won all 8 matches, including two convincing victories against Italy with scores of 3-0 and 4-1.
Norway's leader is still Erling Haaland. The Manchester City striker leads the scoring list in the European qualifiers with 16 goals. Supporting him is Martin Odegaard, who continues to play the role of conductor in midfield.
In addition to this star duo, Norway also owns players who are in high form such as Jorgen Strand Larsen, who just scored a double in the 3-1 victory over Sweden in the most recent friendly match.
Unlike Morocco, Norway faces a much bigger challenge at the 2026 World Cup. They are in Group I with France, Senegal and Iraq, a group considered one of the most difficult in the tournament.
Therefore, the match with Morocco is like a general rehearsal before entering the World Cup campaign. This is also an opportunity for both teams to affirm that they are not only temporary phenomena, but also capable of creating surprises in North America this summer.
With impressive form, quality personnel and the desire to affirm their position, the confrontation between Morocco and Norway promises to be one of the most notable friendly matches before the 2026 World Cup.
Expected lineup:
Bounou, Hakimi, Diop, Aguerd, Mazraoui, El Aynaoui, El Mourabet, Diaz, Ounahi, Ezzalzouli, El Kaabi.
Nyland, Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Moller Wolfe, Bobb, Berge, Aursnes, Nusa, Haaland, Sorloth.
The match between Morocco and Norway takes place at 2:00 AM on June 8 (Vietnam time).
