Morocco’s dream of another FIFA World Cup semi-final appearance came to an end on Thursday. Still, head coach Mohamed Ouahbi believes the Atlas Lions have laid the foundations for even greater success after becoming the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals in back-to-back World Cups.
The North Africans saw their impressive campaign halted by France, who secured a 2-0 victory to book their place in the semi-finals. While the result ended Morocco’s hopes of matching their historic Qatar 2022 achievement, it did little to diminish the tournament’s status as another landmark for African football.
Having reached the last four in Qatar, Morocco returned four years later to establish themselves among the world’s elite once again, achieving a feat no other African nation has managed.
Despite the defeat, Ouahbi admitted his side had come up against one of the strongest teams in international football.
France arrived in the quarter-finals as one of the favourites to lift the FIFA World Cup 2026 title, having won the tournament in Russia in 2018 before finishing runners-up in Qatar four years later.
