It also topped its Nations League group ahead of World Cup holders France, Denmark and Austria, and head into the tournament on the back of a winning streak that culminated in a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in their final warm-up friendly.
While it may have lost some of the leading names from its 2018 run, such as striker Mario Mandzukic and midfielder Ivan Rakitic, there is no shortage of talent in its ranks, especially in midfield.
Who: Morocco v Croatia, Group F
Where: Al Bayt Stadium
When: Wednesday, November 23, 10am (07:00 GMT)
Head to head: Croatia 7-6 Morocco (penalties)
Modric, the player of the tournament in 2018, has one last shot at glory at the age of 37, and will line up against Morocco probably part of an impressive midfield trio alongside Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea.
Brozovic has shaken off a muscle tear and played 70 minutes against the Saudis, allaying fears about his involvement at the tournament.
It will kick off its Group F campaign at Al Bayt Stadium against a Morocco side whose build-up was overshadowed amid controversy over their coach after they sacked Vahid Halilhodzic in August following a dispute about player selection and replaced him with Walid Regragui.
One of the players at the centre of that dispute, Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech, was excluded by Halilhodzic for disciplinary reasons but recalled by Regragui despite only starting twice for his club this season.
Morocco, who has appeared in five previous World Cups, also suffered an injury blow when forward Amine Harit was ruled out with a knee injury.
Last edition’s runner-ups, Croatia, look to stitch another dream run at the World Cup and begin their campaign against a tricky Morocco side, in what will be their first encounter at the World Cup.
Croatia come into this fixture in rich vein of form, winning each of their previous five fixtures, with victories over France and Denmark. They will look to maintain their record against African teams at the FIFA World Cup (2 wins in 2 games).
Morocco are in some good form as well, having not lost any of their previous five international fixtures. Morocco will be hoping to make it past the group stages, a feat they haven’t achieved since 1986.
Ranked 22nd, Morocco, led by Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech, head into this competition on a five-match unbeaten streak. However, the last time the Atlas Lions won a World Cup match was in 1998, a 3-0 win over Scotland.
And in spite of this being their sixth appearance at a World Cup, Morocco last progressed beyond the group stages in 1986, where they were eventually beaten by Germany 1-0 in the round of 16.
The team is hoping to make its mark in Qatar, boosted by the return of Ziyech who announced his international retirement in February 2022 after falling out with former coach Vahid Halilhodzic.
For Croatia, this will be the first World Cup fixture since losing to France in the final four years ago.
Morocco vs Croatia confirmed lineups
Morocco XI (4-3-3): Bounou; Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal
Croatia XI (4-3-3): Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Kovacic, Brozovic, Modric; Vlasic, Kramaric, Perisic
In part, that change looks to be paying off. Unbeaten in their last four games, Ziyech is stepping up to the plate, while Achraf Hakimi and Nayef Aguerd provide further quality.
Still, first up for the Atlas Lions is the unenviable task of playing 2018’s beaten finalists, Croatia. Manager Zlatko Dalic has a settled side still spearheaded by Luka Modric and a midfield plenty of other contenders would be jealous of, with Josip Sutalo and Borna Sosa bringing a fresh feel to the squad.
Striking options remain following the retirement of Mario Mandzukic but few would doubt their quality.