Why are Morocco called ‘MAR’ at the World Cup

Morocco have made World Cup history with their run to the semi-finals

Morocco have made history and won hearts during the country’s run to the World Cup semi-finals.

Morocco became the first Africa team to reach the World Cup semi-finals thanks to their victory over Portugal and now face France for a place in Sunday’s final against Argentina.

Walid Regragui side are also the first team from an Arab country to reach the World Cup semi-finals, with Morocco’s run in Qatar also uniting communities across the world.

Tonight’s match against France is their biggest challenge yet, but Morocco have overcome the odds before to defeat Belgium, Spain and Portugal in order to reach the final four.

Morocco’s name is abbreviated to ‘MAR’ - which can often cause confusion as the country does not have an ‘A’ in its English name.

However, Morocco is known as Maroc in French, which stems from France’s expansion of its colonial empire into North Africa in the 1880s.

French remains an influential language in the country, despite the North African nation declaring its independence in 1956, which is why the name Maroc continues to be used.

Therefore, ‘MAR’ is used as Morocco’s code at sporting events such as the World Cup and Olympic Games, rather than an abbreviation from the country’s English name.