Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has vowed that the Atlas Lions will emerge stronger following their FIFA World Cup quarter-final elimination by France, insisting the team will continue building towards the 2030 tournament, which Morocco will co-host.
Morocco’s hopes of matching their historic run to the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup ended on Thursday after a 2-0 defeat to France at Gillette Stadium near Boston.
The result mirrored the scoreline from the sides’ semi-final meeting four years ago, as second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé secured France’s place in the semi-finals.
Speaking after the match, Ouahbi acknowledged France’s quality but expressed confidence in Morocco’s long-term progress.
“France are a really great side. We were playing a country that has reached the last two World Cup finals, and they have rarely had as much talent as they do now,” he said.
“We know we can compete, and what we want to do is work even harder to try to do even better next time.”
Ouahbi had made it clear before the match that a quarter-final finish would not satisfy his ambitions, and he maintained that stance after the defeat.
“I think it’s important to do everything to try to win, and I think we did try everything,” he said.
“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 was appointed Morocco coach in March, succeeding Walid Regragui following the team’s campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
Morocco entered the tournament as favourites but lost 1-0 to Senegal after extra time in a controversial final that was overshadowed by a walk-off protest from the Senegalese team over a penalty awarded to the hosts.
The Confederation of African Football later stripped Senegal of the title over the incident and awarded the championship to Morocco. However, Senegal has appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the case still pending.
