Morocco’s dream of reaching another FIFA World Cup semi-final ended on Thursday. Still, head coach Mohamed Ouahbi thinks the Atlas Lions have set the stage for even bigger achievements. They became the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals in back-to-back World Cups.
The North African team faced France, who beat them 2-0 to move on to the semi-finals. While this loss ended Morocco’s chance to match their historic Qatar 2022 success, it did not take away from the tournament's significance for African football.
After getting to the last four in Qatar, Morocco came back four years later to prove they belong among the world's best again. No other African country has managed to do what they have done.
Even after the defeat, Ouahbi admitted that his team faced one of the toughest sides in international football.
France came into the quarter-finals as one of the favorites to win the FIFA World Cup 2026. They had won the tournament in Russia in 2018 and were runners-up in Qatar four years later.
Looking back at the match, the Morocco coach noted that Les Bleus gave his players little chance to play their game.
"We have to acknowledge that we were up against a very difficult opponent," Ouahbi said.
"We struggled a great deal in the first half, but Bounou’s penalty save kept us in the game."
"In the second half, we defended better and were calmer in possession. We started the second half well, but their goal came from a rather strange sequence, a scramble, really, and Mbappe’s individual brilliance was what ultimately led to the goal."
Setting Up for the Future
Ouahbi became the Moroccan national team coach in March, just a few months before the World Cup started.
Even with little time to prepare, he led the Atlas Lions to another memorable run. He believes this experience will help them succeed in the future.
The coach, who also took Morocco to victory at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025, said they need to focus on building the squad and creating more depth.
"It was difficult in the end, but we have to keep believing and keep working," Ouahbi said.
"We need to work on the fundamentals so that when injuries strike, or when players aren’t at their best, we have a wider range of options on the bench that we can rely on."
"We will carry on. We won’t stop here. We’re disappointed because we wanted more, but we have to accept what happened today."
Looking past the disappointment, the Moroccan coach is confident that the country's talented players have a lot to give.
"The future looks bright for Morocco if we continue on this path. We have a strong group of players and some outstanding young talent."
"We’ll remain confident, and we won’t allow this defeat to discourage us."
Lessons from the Match
One of Morocco’s best players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Ayyoub Bouaddi, shared his coach’s views after the loss.
The young midfielder said the Atlas Lions wanted to control the game but struggled against a strong French team.
"We wanted to play our usual game, and we’d worked on certain aspects of that with the coach in training, but football isn’t an exact science, and things didn’t go the way we’d planned," Bouaddi said.
"We have to adapt. Our opponents played well, and we have to accept that."
Bouaddi also praised his teammates for their effort, stating that they gave everything on the field despite the loss.
"Before the match, we knew we were facing a very strong French team. We knew it would be difficult and that we’d have to put in a huge effort, and that’s exactly what the players did."
"Everyone gave 100%. But that’s football: You can’t win every match."
For Bouaddi, the quarter-final loss will serve as a valuable lesson for a team that is growing with every major tournament.
He believes learning from tough matches like this one will help them improve for the future.
"This match will help us develop for future tournaments because it showed us what we’re missing and what small details we need to address if we want to go even further."
Even though Morocco's journey ended in the quarter-finals, the Atlas Lions made history as the first African nation to reach the last eight in consecutive FIFA World Cups.
They leave North America with a squad that combines experienced players with exciting young talents. Ouahbi believes this mix can take Moroccan football to new heights in the coming years.
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