Morocco lost 2-0 to France in the quarterfinals and was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup, but will be the next host country.
Published July 10, 2026
Morocco proved unable to replicate their heroics in the semi-finals of the last World Cup, losing in the last eight on Thursday and once again facing obstacles from France, but they are starting to set their sights on the trophy as co-hosts of the next tournament.
They lost to France in the semi-finals in Qatar four years ago, and this time Les Bleus won 2-0 in Boston.
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However, Morocco’s performance in the tournament, which was expanded to 48 teams, could be described as a success, becoming the first African nation to reach consecutive quarter-finals, defeating the Netherlands and giving a scare to Brazil in the first match of the finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
There were some questions about how they would fare following the change of manager just three months before the final, but Mohamed Ouabi has made a smooth transition from the junior ranks to the senior coaching role after leading Morocco to victory at last year’s Under-20 World Cup.
Morocco will now approach the next World Cup with special caution. Morocco will co-host the 2030 finals with Portugal and Spain, and has already qualified.
“We have a young team that wants to grow and will continue to grow. We have talented players who will allow us to grow,” Ouabi said after Thursday’s game.
It would be normal to think that Morocco would stick with their coach and give the team time to improve with the goal of winning the next World Cup.
But by then, Wabi will have to negotiate two African Cup of Nations finals in 2027 and 2028 and will be well aware of the tenuous nature of coaching in Africa, where failure in the tournament always leads to change.
His predecessor, Walid Reglagui, was ousted by Moroccan fans after missing out on a win against Senegal in the Nations Cup final in the Moroccan capital Rabat in January.
“First of all we need to qualify for the Nations Cup and win it. We need to take a step back and make sure we are a team that can realize and create dreams in the future. Then win the title and make sure we are on the right track,” Ouabi added.
Despite being the top-ranked team on the continent, Morocco has not performed well in the Nations Cup. They won one African Championship in 1976, but were handed the 2025 title after Senegal were stripped of the trophy by default in the final. This decision is under appeal and may be reversed.
Morocco will next be in action in September when the Nations Cup qualifiers begin. Their group includes Gabon, Lesotho and Niger, and it appears to be a routine mission.
But if they have any hope of success at the 2030 World Cup, they will need to have a tougher diet on their opponents to fine-tune their chances.
“Of course, the Nations Cup is not the World Cup. It is a different type of competition and our opponents have a different style of play,” the coach said.
“So when you’re not used to playing this kind of style, when you’re not ready for the World Cup, you can get eliminated quickly.”
