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Why you should watch every team at the 2018 World Cup

By Harrison Hamm

Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Ecuador during their 2018 World Cup qualifier football match in Quito, on October 10, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Juan Ruiz (Photo credit should read JUAN RUIZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Ecuador during their 2018 World Cup qualifier football match in Quito, on October 10, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Juan Ruiz (Photo credit should read JUAN RUIZ/AFP/Getty Images) /
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STADIO OLIMPICO GRANDE TORINO, TORINO, ITALY – 2018/03/23: Medhi Benatia of Morocco in action during the international friendly match between Serbia and Morocco. Morocco wins 2-1 over Serbia. (Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images)
STADIO OLIMPICO GRANDE TORINO, TORINO, ITALY – 2018/03/23: Medhi Benatia of Morocco in action during the international friendly match between Serbia and Morocco. Morocco wins 2-1 over Serbia. (Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images) /

Morocco

While they seem to be perennially in the running for hosting the World Cup, 2018 will be Morocco’s first appearance in the tournament in 20 years. They will be captained by Juventus defender Medhi Benatia and a crew of older players, including Mbark Boussoufa of Al-Jazira in the UAE, Aziz Bouhaddouz of FC St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga, and Feyenoord’s Karim El Ahmadi.

Morocco will hope their age does not do them in — very few of their top contributors are under 28, and a solid portion are above 30. 19-year-old Real Madrid defender Achraf Hakimi, who chose to represent Morocco despite being born in Madrid, could be the exception to that.

Overcoming Spain and Portugal in Group B is a difficult task. Morocco will be looking to lift themselves out of relative world anonymity on the field, rather than only by being the challenger to North America for the 2026 World Cup bid.

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