Morocco's 3-0 win over Canada in the Round of 16 was enough to boost their FIFA total, but not enough to move them ahead of Brazil. The result left Morocco 6th and Brazil 5th, with only 0.93 points between them after a knockout round shaped by FIFA's ranking rules.
That narrow gap explains why Mazraoui matters in the wider Morocco discussion. In a tournament setting, every result feeds into a system that is based on an Elo-style formula rather than a simple average over a fixed period, so the margins can be decisive without always changing the order.
Why Morocco did not move ahead of Brazil
Morocco gained 15.13 points from beating Canada, taking their total to 1,803.99. Brazil, despite losing 2-1 to Norway in the same round, stayed on 1,804.92 and kept 5th place.
The key detail is that knockout-round losses that produce negative points do not cause teams to lose points. The same no-loss rule also applies to penalty shootouts, which means a defeat in the later stages does not always bring the sort of ranking damage many would expect.
FIFA first introduced the Men's World Ranking in 1992, then adopted its current SUM calculation method in August 2018, approved by the FIFA Council. Under that system, the rankings are designed to reflect match strength and result, but not every knockout result produces a downward swing for the losing team.
What the numbers say about the ranking system
On paper, Morocco were rewarded for winning and Brazil were not punished for losing. That is why Morocco could improve their standing without changing position, while Brazil held on to 5th despite the 2-1 loss.
The bigger lesson is that World Cup knockout games can still matter enormously without forcing an immediate reshuffle. Morocco's performance against Canada will strengthen their total, but to overtake Brazil they would have needed more than a 15.13-point gain.
For Mazraoui and Morocco, the ranking picture is another sign of how tight the elite group at the top remains. Even a strong knockout win can leave a team just short when the team above them is protected by the rules of the calculation.
