Ex-France defender Rami says injuries denied Morocco a stronger challenge at World Cup 2026

Former France defender Adil Rami has insisted Morocco’s place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was fully deserved, saying the Atlas Lions earned their deep run rather than benefiting from good fortune.

Speaking in a video shared online, the 2018 World Cup winner praised Morocco’s performances throughout the tournament but believed their hopes of progressing further were undermined by injuries before their meeting with France.

“Morocco did not reach the quarterfinals by chance or without deserving it,” Rami said.

He argued that Morocco’s toughest challenge came against one of the tournament favourites at a time when head coach Mohamed Ouahbi was unable to call on several of his most influential players.

“The problem is that when you reach the quarterfinals, you come up against one of the main favorites to win the tournament, which was France,” he said.

Injuries proved decisive against France

Rami believes the absence of several first-team players was evident as Morocco attempted to overcome France in Boston.

“In that game, we felt that Morocco badly needed its key players and leaders,” he said. “When I speak about key players, I mean all those who were injured just before the World Cup.”

Morocco travelled to the tournament without defender Nayef Aguerd and winger Abde Ezzalzouli after both were ruled out through injury before the opening match.

The Atlas Lions were then dealt another major setback when in-form forward Ismael Saibari suffered a hamstring injury during the 3-0 round-of-16 victory over Canada. Saibari had scored in each of Morocco’s three group-stage matches and also converted the winning penalty in the shootout victory over the Netherlands.

“I think the difference was clearly visible in that match,” Rami added.

Historic campaign despite quarter-final exit

France ended Morocco’s impressive run with a 2-0 victory to book their place in the semi-finals.

Kylian Mbappe recovered from an earlier penalty miss to give France the lead before Ousmane Dembele added a second six minutes later. Without Saibari and several other attacking options, Morocco struggled to create clear-cut chances.

After the match, Ouahbi acknowledged that France had been the stronger side but said his team would use the defeat as motivation to continue improving ahead of future tournaments.

Despite their elimination, Morocco made more history by becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals in successive editions. Their campaign featured a penalty-shootout triumph over the Netherlands before a commanding 3-0 victory against co-hosts Canada in the round of 16.

Rami issues warning ahead of 2030

Rami believes Morocco’s achievements over the past two World Cups are a sign of what is still to come.

“Watch out for this Moroccan team at the next World Cup,” he said.

The Atlas Lions will have the opportunity to build on their recent success when they co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, with automatic qualification already secured.

After following their historic semi-final appearance in 2022 with another deep run in 2026, Morocco will head into the next tournament aiming to establish themselves once again among the world’s leading football nations.