Morocco have pulled off a historic African feat, temporarily leapfrogging Brazil in the FIFA world rankings to sit fifth for the first time in their history.
The Atlas Lions have Brazil to thank. The Seleção stumbled to a stoppage-time 1-1 draw with Australia in a friendly played on Friday.
That result cost Brazil 02.02 points, dropping their cumulative total to 1802.90 and knocking them down to sixth, according to the FIFA website.
Morocco pounced on the slip, climbing temporarily to fifth on a tally of 1803.99 points.
Beating visitors Gabon on Friday evening would tighten their grip on fifth. It marks the opening of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign and the team's first appearance since the 2026 World Cup.
Only four teams now sit above them: Spain, Argentina, France and England, in that order.
The current standings by points, according to the FIFA website:
Fifa
Morocco match Nigeria's feat
In doing so, Morocco have matched the record set by Nigeria as the highest-ranked African team in history, achieved back in 1994.
The "Green Eagles" held fifth place at the time, riding the wave of their 1994 Africa Cup of Nations triumph and a strong World Cup showing in the United States, where they reached the round of 16.
Australia, meanwhile, rose to 27th in the FIFA rankings and third in Asia on a tally of 1583.53 points, having gained 02.02 points from the draw with Brazil.
The current ranking remains provisional. FIFA will announce the final and official standings after the current international break ends on 7 October.