No, Morocco Did Not Win the Africa Cup of Nations After the 2022 World Cup — Ivory Coast Did
“Morocco won the Africa Cup of Nations title after the 2022 World Cup”
The argument in brief
A claim has circulated that Morocco won the Africa Cup of Nations following their historic 2022 World Cup run. This is false. The most recent AFCON tournament, played in early 2024, was won by Ivory Coast, who beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final. Morocco didn't even reach the final — they were knocked out in the quarter-finals.
Why it spread
Morocco's 2022 World Cup semi-final run was the best performance by any African nation in World Cup history, and it made a deep impression on football fans worldwide. That genuine, well-deserved glory created a strong mental link between Morocco and African football achievement — so when people heard about an African title being won around that time, Morocco felt like the obvious answer, even when the facts pointed elsewhere.
The claim that Morocco won the Africa Cup of Nations after the 2022 World Cup is simply not true. No AFCON title has gone to Morocco in that period, and the facts are straightforward once you look at the record.
The most recent Africa Cup of Nations — the 2023 edition, played in Ivory Coast in January and February 2024 — was won by the host nation, Ivory Coast. According to both CAF official records and BBC Sport, Ivory Coast defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the final to claim the trophy on home soil. Morocco's tournament ended much earlier: Reuters confirms they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by South Africa.
Go back one more tournament and the picture is the same. The 2021 AFCON, held in Cameroon in early 2022, was won by Senegal — also not Morocco. So Morocco has not won AFCON in either of the two tournaments held since the 2022 World Cup.
What Morocco did achieve was genuinely historic. At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, they became the first African nation ever to reach the semi-finals, per FIFA's official records. That run — beating Spain and Portugal along the way — was a landmark moment for African football. But the World Cup and AFCON are separate competitions, and a great World Cup does not translate into an AFCON title.
This kind of mix-up is worth watching for because it often attaches real achievements to false ones. Morocco's World Cup story was so remarkable that it created a mental shortcut: Morocco equals African football success. That shortcut makes false claims about them easier to believe and harder to question without checking the details.
Sources
- CAF (Confederation of African Football) Official Records
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (held in Ivory Coast in January-February 2024) was won by Ivory Coast, not Morocco. Morocco was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
- BBC Sport
Ivory Coast defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the final of the 2023 AFCON tournament held in February 2024, claiming the title on home soil.
- FIFA World Cup 2022 Records
Morocco had a historic run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, reaching the semi-finals — the best-ever performance by an African nation — but did not win the World Cup. Argentina won the 2022 World Cup.
- Reuters
Ivory Coast won the Africa Cup of Nations in February 2024, defeating Nigeria in the final. Morocco lost to South Africa in the quarter-finals of that tournament.