Rabat – Morocco slipped to seventh place in the live FIFA World Rankings following a 1–1 draw against Mali on Sunday at the Grand Stade de Tanger.
The Atlas Lions had reached fifth place in the world after two consecutive AFCON qualifying wins over Gabon and Lesotho, helped by Brazil’s defeat to Australia.
Morocco now holds a total of 1,805.34 points, while Portugal rose to fifth place with 1,807.69 points after defeating Norway 2–1 in matchday four of the UEFA Nations League. Brazil is occupying sixth place with 1,806.51 points.
The figures remain provisional and reflect the live standings following Sunday’s results.
FIFA will publish its official ranking on October 7.
Mohamed Ouahbi’s men broke the deadlock against Mali in the 35th minute when Abde Ezzalzouli converted a penalty kick to put the Atlas Lions ahead.
However, Mali maintained their composure and fought back in the second half, securing an equalizer in the 77th minute through Gaoussou Diarra to lock the international friendly in a 1–1 draw.
The national team kicked off their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with a 2–0 win over Gabon in Rabat before securing another 2–0 triumph against Lesotho in Bloemfontein.
Morocco were initially set to face Ghana, but the Ghana Football Association withdrew from the friendly, citing internal reasons.
Mali stepped in as a replacement opponent after their own scheduled friendly against Tunisia was called off.
