Under head coach Walid Regragui, only appointed at the end of August, Morocco became the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. They finished top of their first round group, then eliminated Spain in the round of the last 16 on penalties, and beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-finals to reach the semi-finals, where they lost to France. The heroics of players such as Achraf Hakimi, Sofyan Amrabat and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou won them fans across the world.
