More than a few World Cup brackets possibly had Argentina, Croatia, and France penciled in as semifinalists in 2022. But Morocco? If you had the Atlas Lions among the final 4 teams standing in Qatar, well…never mind, you didn’t.
It’s no disrespect to Morocco, though. It’s just that African teams have never made it this far in the tournament. Only Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana in 2010 have represented the continent in the final 8; all 3 teams lost. Adding to the intrigue, of course, is Morocco’s past geopolitical ties to France.
That’s not to say the other 3 countries don’t present their own storylines.