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Head to head · Checked November 2026

South Africa vs
Morocco

South Africa vs Morocco in ice hockey: the only African nations entered for the 2027 World Championships, side by side on players, rankings, rinks and leagues.

See the tale of the tapeAll comparisons
6–1
Tale of the tape, South Africa–Morocco
6
South Africa federations, leagues and clubs
1
Morocco federations, leagues and clubs
Measure by measure

The tale of the tape

Ahead on 6
South Africa
Ahead on 1
Morocco
  • IIHF membership
    South Africa: Full (ahead)
    Since 1937
    Morocco: Associate
    Since 2010
  • Registered players
    South Africa: 491
    Morocco: 779 (ahead)
  • Men’s world ranking
    South Africa: #47 (ahead)
    Morocco: —
  • Women’s world ranking
    South Africa: #36 (ahead)
    Morocco: —
  • IIHF-size indoor rinks
    South Africa: 7 (ahead)
    Morocco: 2
  • Men’s Worlds 2027
    South Africa: Div III A (ahead)
    Taichung, Chinese Taipei
    Morocco: Div IV B
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • Women’s Worlds 2027
    South Africa: Div III B (ahead)
    Sofia, Bulgaria
    Morocco: —
  • Domestic competition
    South Africa: SASL
    Three men’s teams, 2026
    Morocco: —

Membership, players, rankings and rinks are the figures each federation reports to the IIHF, as shown on its iihf.com member page in November 2026. The 2027 tournaments are the IIHF’s own entry lists. Amber marks the side that is ahead.

The difference

How they compare

They are the only African countries entered for the 2027 men’s World Championships. South Africa plays Division III Group A in Taichung, the level it played in 2025 and 2026; Morocco makes its debut in Division IV Group B in Kuala Lumpur.

Morocco reports more registered players, 779 to 491, and more women, 142 to 106, but most of its players, 539, are youth. South Africa leads on everything else the IIHF counts: seven IIHF-size indoor rinks to two, a men’s world ranking of 47th and a women’s of 36th where Morocco has neither, and a women’s team at the World Championships. It has been a full member since 1937; Morocco has been an associate since 2010.

The difference shows at home. South Africa ran men’s and women’s Super Leagues in 2025 and 2026, plus provincial and youth leagues, at rinks in Cape Town, Centurion, Pretoria and Kempton Park. Morocco opened a rink the size of an IIHF sheet in Rabat in January 2026, but we found no Moroccan league or club playing in 2025 or 2026.

Who plays where

Leagues and clubs

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Africa

Also playing, with no official account we could find: Pretoria Buffalos, Pretoria Capitals, Cape Town Kings.

North Africa

Morocco

  • Federation · Salé

    Fédération Royale Marocaine de Hockey sur Glace

    Morocco’s IIHF member. Its men make their World Championship debut in 2027, in Division IV Group B. Its website, frmhg.ma, was offline when we checked in November 2026.

    IIHF profile(opens in a new tab)
Common questions

South Africa vs Morocco, answered

Which African countries play at the IIHF World Championships?

In 2027, South Africa and Morocco. South Africa’s men play Division III Group A in Taichung and its women Division III Group B in Sofia; Morocco’s men make their debut in Division IV Group B in Kuala Lumpur.

Does South Africa or Morocco have more ice hockey players?

Morocco reports more to the IIHF: 779 registered players to South Africa’s 491. Most of Morocco’s, 539, are youth players, while South Africa has more senior men, 187 to 98.

Are South Africa and Morocco IIHF members?

South Africa has been a full member of the IIHF since 1937. Morocco has been an associate member of the IIHF since 2010.

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Beyond the numbers

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