In an unprecedented achievement for Arab football, the Moroccan national team has climbed to fifth place in the provisional FIFA world rankings, their best position in the history of Moroccan and Arab football.
اضافة اعلان
The historic rise for the "Atlas Lions" came after they raised their total to 1,805.34 points, placing them fifth behind the leading sides Spain, Argentina, France and England, thanks to their comfortable 5-1 win over Niger.
Setbacks for the big sides help the Atlas Lions
Morocco's win alone was not enough for the leap. It coincided with a series of disappointing results for their rivals. Ashraf Hakimi's team benefited from Portugal's heavy defeat to Denmark, losing 4-1 on Saturday evening in the UEFA Nations League.
Portugal had been ahead of Morocco on 1,807.69 points, but the four-goal defeat dropped them sharply to 1,797.60 points, seventh place. Brazil's surprise 3-2 defeat to Japan also played a pivotal role in pushing the Samba side down to sixth, on 1,800.36 points, opening the way for Morocco to move up.
Moroccan media celebrate the "earthquake"
The sudden shift in the world rankings did not go unnoticed by the Moroccan press, which celebrated the achievement of coach Walid Regragui's side. The Moroccan website Le360 Sport described the rise as an "earthquake in the FIFA rankings", with the headline: "Hakimi's team-mates push aside two giants and take fifth place in the world".
Attention now turns to 18 November, when FIFA is due to publish its official world rankings after counting the results of all international matches scheduled during the current break. Moroccan fans hope the Atlas Lions will confirm their fifth-place position officially, crowning this historic run.
