Fourteen of Morocco’s 26 players were born abroad, the highest share of any team competing in the World Cup.
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Morocco continued its improbable, historic run at the World Cup by defeating Portugal on Saturday, becoming the first African country to ever make the tournament’s semifinal round.
The team’s success has galvanized not only Moroccans living in the country, but also the estimated 5 million living abroad—which is where the majority of the team grew up.
Fourteen of Morocco’s 26 players were born abroad, the highest share of any team competing in the World Cup. One of its stars, Hakim Ziyech, was born in the Netherlands, and another, Achraf Hakimi, was born in Spain. So how can they play for Morocco? Under FIFA rules, players must be citizens of a country and check off certain requirements showing they have a “clear connection” to it, such as a parent or grandparent who was born there.
Big picture: The share of foreign-born players at the World Cup has been surging in recent decades, shaking up the traditional power dynamics associated with global soccer, Vox reports. At the first World Cup in 1930, 5% of players were born in a different country than they represented. This year, the share is 16.5% (about one in every six).
African countries have been especially aggressive in recruiting players from abroad. Of the 38 French-born players not playing on the French team this World Cup, for example, all but four represent African countries.
Speaking of France…it will try to end Morocco’s Cinderella story in Wednesday’s semifinal. The winner of that game will play the winner of Argentina vs. Croatia, which is taking place on Tuesday.
