​Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi vowed that his side would rebound from their World Cup quarter-final exit to France on Thursday and continue building as they gear up to co-host the next tournament in 2030. The Atlas Lions had aimed to at least replicate their historic run to the semi-finals in Qatar in 2022, but once again their World Cup hopes were dashed by Les Bleus. The 2-0 loss at Gillette Stadium near Boston mirrored the same scoreline when the teams met in the semi-final four years earlier, leaving Morocco to redirect their focus to future challenges after a demanding seven months.
“France are a really great side. We were up against a country that has reached the last two World Cup finals, and they boast more talent than ever,” Ouahbi acknowledged after the last-eight clash, which was decided by second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele. “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 warned on the eve of the game that exiting in the quarter-finals would not be considered a success. “I think it’s important to do everything to try to win, and I think we did try everything,” he added on Thursday. “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.”
Appointed in March to succeed Walid Regragui, who left after the team’s run to the Africa Cup of Nations final on home soil at the start of the year, Ouahbi reflected on how close Morocco came to a potential breakthrough despite coming up short. The AFCON final had itself been a dramatic affair, with Morocco considered favorites but losing 1-0 after extra time in a chaotic final against Senegal, a match marked by protests from the Senegalese side over a penalty awarded to the hosts. Senegal were later stripped of their title as punishment by the Confederation of African Football, leaving Morocco as the declared champions, although a Senegalese appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport remained ongoing.
Looking ahead, Ouahbi indicated that the next AFCON would be the immediate priority, with the 2030 World Cup looming as a long-term objective that Morocco would pursue in tandem with their co-hosts Spain and Portugal. “Before that we have an AFCON, and if we want to do well we need to keep building, try to qualify for that and win it,” said the Belgian-born coach. “We have a huge hotbed of talent and a strong federation, so we have everything you could need to keep improving and moving forward.”
The Morocco side against France featured a crop of promising young players, including French-born teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, yet overcoming such a formidable opponent proved beyond them on the day. “We have to acknowledge that they are such a good side. They could have scored earlier than they did, but we wanted to go for better” was the sentiment as Ouahbi assessed the match. As Morocco turn their attention to the AFCON and the road to 2030, the coach stressed that the team’s plan remains to build, improve, and push for greater heights in future campaigns.