2026 World Cup: Morocco Coach Ouahbi Reacts To France Defeat

2026 World Cup: Morocco Coach Ouahbi Reacts To France Defeat
Morocco coach remains optimistic about the team’s long-term future.
Atlas Lions exited after another impressive FIFA World Cup campaign.

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has admitted that France deserved their 2-0 victory after the Atlas Lions were eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the quarter-final stage.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that France secured their place in the semi-finals at Boston Stadium on Thursday night, July 9, courtesy of goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé.

Mbappé recovered from an earlier penalty miss to score his eighth goal of the tournament before providing the assist for Dembélé’s fifth goal, sending Didier Deschamps’ side into the last four, where they will face either Belgium or Spain.

Speaking after the match, Ouahbi acknowledged that his players found it difficult to cope with the quality of the French team, particularly during the opening half.

“We have to admit we faced a very good opponent. We struggled a lot in the first half, and [Yassine] Bounou’s penalty save kept us in the game,” Ouahbi told FIFA.com.

“We defended better in the second half and were calmer in possession. In the end, it was an individual piece of brilliance from [Kylian] Mbappe.

“It was a difficult feeling, but we have to keep working. We need more options on the bench when we have injuries, absences and fatigue, but of course we’re disappointed.”

Despite the quarter-final exit, the Moroccan coach expressed confidence in the future of his team, insisting their recent progress has laid a strong foundation for greater success.

“The future will be bright if we continue like this, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t want to win today. Of course, we wanted to win today. We did everything we could to win, but we faced a very difficult opponent,” he added.

“It’s a disappointment, of course, but we’ll keep working for the future. We know we represent more than just one country. We represent the Moroccan people, and many countries across Asia and Africa. Many people see themselves in this team, and we’ll keep working to win titles in the future.”

Morocco Coach Ouahbi Reacts To France Defeat

Morocco’s campaign ended after another impressive run on the global stage, with Ouahbi maintaining that the experience gained at the tournament would strengthen the team ahead of future international competitions.