Morocco has taken the Qatar World Cup by storm with its steely performances, which led to it becoming the fourth African nation to enter the quarterfinal of the global tournament.
An interesting part of the team’s runup has been the way it has been listed by FIFA and broadcasters -- MAR -- which has left a few fans confused.
Morocco is an exceptional case as most countries are often abbreviated in a straightforward way, like Germany - GER, England - ENG, Argentina - ARG. The reason for this is simple.
Why is Morocco called ‘MAR’?
The country is officially called Morocco in English, but it is Maroc in French.
Even though the official languages of the country are Arabic and Tamazight, there exists a strong French connection thanks to its past.
In the 19th century, Morocco was a part of France’s empire in North Africa, and it was not until 1956 that the country won independence from the French, who referred to the country as Maroc.
French is still a widely spoken language in the region which explains why the term ‘MAR’ is the preferred abbreviation for its football team.
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