World Cup 2026: Mohamed Ouahbi vows Morocco will rise again after quarterfinal exit

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has vowed that the Atlas Lions will recover from their disappointing FIFA World Cup quarterfinal elimination and continue building towards future success, with the country set to co-host the next tournament in 2030.

Morocco’s impressive World Cup campaign came to an end on Thursday after a 2-0 defeat to France at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, denying them the chance to repeat or surpass their historic semifinal appearance at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

The result marked another painful World Cup setback against Les Bleus, who defeated Morocco by the same scoreline in the semifinals four years ago. Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scored the decisive second-half goals to send France through to the last four.

Ouahbi acknowledged France’s quality but insisted Morocco have shown they are capable of competing with the world’s best teams.

“France are a really great side. We were playing a country who have been to the last two World Cup finals, and they have rarely had as much talent as they do now,” Ouahbi said after the defeat.

“We know we can compete, and what we want to do is work even harder to try to do even better next time.”

The Moroccan coach had earlier stated that reaching the quarterfinals would not be enough to satisfy his ambitions, and he maintained that belief despite the elimination.

“I think it’s important to do everything to try to win and I think we did try everything,” he added.

“We want to go even further and win the World Cup, so we are disappointed because we have lost, but we have to accept it.”

Ouahbi took charge of the national team in March after replacing Walid Regragui, who left following Morocco’s run to the Africa Cup of Nations final earlier in the year.

The Atlas Lions entered that tournament as favourites on home soil but suffered a 1-0 extra-time defeat to Senegal in a dramatic final that was overshadowed by controversy after Senegal players briefly left the pitch in protest over a penalty awarded to Morocco.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) later stripped Senegal of the title as punishment, with Morocco declared champions. However, Senegal’s appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport remains ongoing.

With the 2030 World Cup on the horizon, Ouahbi believes Morocco’s current generation still has room to grow and is determined to build a team capable of challenging for the biggest prize in international football.