Eliminated Morocco turn attention to co-hosting 2030 World Cup
Morocco’s impressive FIFA World Cup journey came to an end in the quarter-finals after a 2-0 defeat to France on Thursday, with Les Bleus once again ending the Atlas Lions’ hopes, four years after eliminating them in the semi-finals in Qatar.
Despite the loss in Boston, Morocco’s campaign is widely regarded as another milestone for African football. The North Africans became the first African nation to reach consecutive World Cup quarter-finals, having also knocked out the Netherlands and pushed Brazil in the group stage of the expanded 48-team tournament hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
There were initial concerns over Morocco’s prospects following the appointment of Mohamed Ouahbi as head coach just three months before the tournament. However, the former youth team coach, who guided Morocco to the FIFA U-20 World Cup title last year, made a smooth transition to the senior national team.
Attention will now shift to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host alongside Portugal and Spain. As co-hosts, the Atlas Lions have already secured automatic qualification for the tournament.
Reflecting on his side’s future after the defeat, Ouahbi expressed confidence in the team’s long-term potential.
“We have a young team that wants to grow and will continue to improve. We have talented players who can help us develop further,” he said.
The Moroccan Football Federation is expected to retain Ouahbi as head coach and allow him time to build a squad capable of challenging for the World Cup title on home soil.
Before then, however, Morocco must navigate the 2027 and 2028 Africa Cup of Nations campaigns, competitions that have often proven decisive for coaching tenures across the continent.
Ouahbi’s predecessor, Walid Regragui, left the role after coming under intense criticism following Morocco’s defeat to Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat earlier this year.
The current coach insisted that the immediate priority is to build a team capable of winning continental honours before turning full attention to the 2030 World Cup.
“We first need to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations and aim to win it. We must build a team that inspires people and is capable of winning titles,” he said.
Although Morocco are Africa’s highest-ranked nation, they have enjoyed limited success in the Africa Cup of Nations, having officially won the tournament only once in 1976. They were later awarded the 2025 title after Senegal were stripped of the championship following a walk-off during the final, although that decision remains under appeal.
Morocco will resume competitive action in September when they begin their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Gabon, Lesotho and Niger.
Ouahbi acknowledged that while the qualifiers may not pose significant challenges, Morocco will need stronger opposition in preparation for the 2030 World Cup.
“The Africa Cup of Nations is very different from the World Cup. You face different styles of play, and if you’re not accustomed to them or properly prepared, you can be eliminated very quickly,” he said.
Source: Reuters
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