Morocco arrive at the 2030 World Cup as hosts, and with the highest expectations in their history. In 2022 they became the first African and Arab nation to reach a World Cup semi-final, beating Belgium, Spain and Portugal along the way. Now they play a World Cup at home, in front of crowds that will fill a brand-new 115,000-seat stadium in Casablanca.

The question is whether home advantage can carry them further than 2022. The squad is talented, the country is investing enormously, and the whole continent will be behind them. But hosting a World Cup brings pressure as well as support — and Morocco's history shows that managing expectations is as important as tactics.

The core of Morocco's team is built around players at top European clubs, and by 2030 most of them will be at the peak of their careers. The team that impressed in 2022 was young; the team that plays in 2030 will be experienced, with two more World Cup cycles behind them and hundreds of top-flight matches in their legs.

Morocco's success in 2022 was built on organisation as much as talent: a compact defence, quick transitions and a team that worked tirelessly for each other. The coaching staff's challenge for 2030 is to keep that defensive solidity while adding more attacking threat at home, where fans will expect Morocco to dominate possession rather than counter-attack. The home crowd will demand attacking football, and balancing that expectation with the pragmatic style that brought success is the tactical puzzle of the cycle. If the coach gets it right, Morocco can beat anyone.