2018 World Cup draw: Morocco handed Group of Death to face Spain and Portugal

Published on: 01 December 2017
2018 World Cup draw: Morocco handed Group of Death to face Spain and Portugal
The Moroccan national football team

Morocco have been handed the Group of Death at the 2018 World Cup as they face Spain and Portugal in Group B.

The Atlas Lions will also the tricky Iran side in their opening match at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg.

The draw ceremony was held at the Kremlin in Moscow with the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Atlas Lions finished undefeated in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers against strong opponents, including Mali, Gabon, and Cote D’Ivoire.

The Moroccan team will face Iran in its first game in the next phase of the World Cup, which will be played in Russia next summer.

This will be the fifth time Morocco participates in the World Cup after 1970, 1986, 1994 and 1998.

In 1986, Morocco made history when it qualified to the second round of the World Cup, becoming the first African and Arab country to achieve such a performance.

Portugal and Spain will meet in the group stage at next year's World Cup.

The rivals will play in Sochi on June 15, the second day of the tournament.

The two countries haven't played since meeting in the semifinals of the 2012 European Championship, when eventual champion Spain won on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Spain also played on the second day of competition at the 2014 World Cup, losing 5-1 to the Netherlands before being eliminated in the group stage.

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