00:05These are heady days for international football in North Africa.
00:12At the start of 2025, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia were all ranked in the top 50 on FIFA's rankings,
00:23while Morocco were entering their third year inside the top 15.
00:33And with the World Cup heading to Casablanca in 2030,
00:38it is not unrealistic to consider the Atlas Lions contenders for the biggest prize in football.
00:49We must prepare this team well to win the World Cup one day.
00:52Even if that sounds too much, we can say we tried.
01:00There will be ways to achieve it, but if the group doesn't believe, you have no chance.
01:05That's what I'm talking about.
01:07I insist on the collective spirit.
01:09If there is not that, there will be nothing.
01:15Morocco broke new ground for North African football by reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
01:24In the group phase, they stunned pre-tournament favourites Belgium 2-0,
01:29then edged past Spain on penalties before adding the scalp of Portugal in the quarter-finals.
01:37After 36 years, we are making history again, and we have celebrated it.
01:45We have been very happy, dancing and celebrating in the locker room.
01:50These days have been unforgettable and indescribable.
01:56France proved too strong in the semis,
01:58but there was jubilation amongst the travelling support for the team's history-making.
02:04It's more than a dream, it's incredible.
02:07It's national pride.
02:08It is historic what we are doing for our football and the lessons that we are giving ourselves.
02:13We are not seeing life as before, this changed our mindset.
02:17We are hanging from the lips of our coach.
02:19We can make it.
02:21We might not have the same chances in the game.
02:23We might not have the same infrastructure as the other teams.
02:26We might not have any hope to make it.
02:29But with a lot of heart and a lot of blessing, we will.
02:36Qatar 2022 extended Morocco's pioneering legacy for African football.
02:41In 1970, they became the first team from the continent to earn a point,
02:46when they drew one-all with Bulgaria.
02:49Then, at Mexico 86, they became the first African side to reach the round of 16.
03:03The first African nation to win their match at the World Cup was Tunisia,
03:09when they beat Mexico 3-1 in 1978.
03:13The Eagles of Carthage grew into an established international side during the 1970s.
03:18But it would not be until 2004 that they would have anything to show for it.
03:27On home soil, Tunisia won their only Africa Cup of Nations to date,
03:32defeating heavyweights Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal en route to the title.
03:38The victory made coach Roger Lemaire the first in world football to win the Continental Championship in two confederations,
03:46after previously leading France to glory at Euro 2000.
03:58Algeria are enjoying the fruits of a golden generation,
04:01led by the outstanding Riyad Mahrez.
04:05The highlight so far came in 2019,
04:09when they secured only the second AFCON title in their history,
04:13and on Egyptian soil.
04:16Getting to the heart of it,
04:18we're African champions after 29 years.
04:21It's unbelievable,
04:22especially to be African champions away from our own country.
04:26The last one was in Algeria in 1990.
04:30African champions away is extraordinary.
04:34Prior to this,
04:36Algeria's greatest legacy on the biggest sage
04:38was being the victims of what became known
04:40as the disgrace of Guijong.
04:45At the 1982 World Cup,
04:47the Fenix caused one of the great upsets
04:50with a 2-1 victory over reigning European champions,
04:53West Germany.
04:57By the final match in the group between West Germany and Austria,
05:01with Algeria having already played their final group game the day before,
05:06the European teams knew
05:07that a West German win by one or two goals
05:10would qualify them both.
05:13After 10 minutes of an all-out attack,
05:16West Germany scored.
05:17Then immediately afterwards,
05:19the two teams declined to attack
05:21for the rest of the match.
05:26Algeria protested to FIFA,
05:28who ruled that the result be allowed to stand.
05:31Then later introduced a revised system
05:33in which the final two games in each group
05:36had to be played simultaneously.
05:45Egypt are an enigma of international football.
05:51They are a record seven-time AFCON champions,
05:55but have only appeared at three World Cups
05:58and have yet to win a match on the game's greatest stage.
06:02Hosting English Premier League stars Mohamed Salah
06:06and Omar Mahmouche,
06:07the future looks bright.
06:09But those two individuals are outliers,
06:12with the vast majority of Egyptian internationals
06:15plying their trade in the domestic league.
06:17While this is a testament to the strength of the local competition,
06:21it is arguably holding back the pharaohs
06:23as a World Cup contending football nation.
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