Removing Morocco to turn to cohost 2030 World Cup | World Cup 2026 news

Morocco was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 defeat by France in the quarterfinals, but prepare for the next edition.

Morocco could not replicate their heroics in the last World Cup, running back on France’s path when they lost in the last eight on Thursday, but if the next tournament’s players start looking for the trophy again.

He was beaten by France in the semi-final in Qatar four years ago and this time he featured again in Les Bleus’ 2-0 win in Boston.

Morocco’s performance in the additional 48-team tournament, however, can be considered a success, becoming the first African country to reach the quarterfinals in a row, eliminating the Netherlands and giving Brazil a scare in their opening matches in Canada, Mexico and the US.

There were doubts as to what would happen if he made the switch just three months before the finals, with Mohamed Ouahbi making a seamless transition to head coach from the youth ranks after leading Morocco to the U-20 World Cup title last year.

Morocco is now looking at the next World Cup with special interest – it will be joining the finals of 2030 with Portugal and Spain and thus they are already qualified.

“We have a young team that wants to grow, that will continue to do so. We have talented players that will make us grow,” Ouahbi said after Thursday’s game.

It would be strange to think that Morocco will keep their coach and give him time to change his team, with winning the next World Cup as their goal.

But Ouahbi has to negotiate two African Cup of Nations finals in 2027 and 2028 before then and is well aware of the pressures of coaching in Africa, where a lack of performance leads to change.

His predecessor, Walid Regragui, was booed by Moroccan fans after failing to win the Cup of Nations final against Senegal in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, in January.

“We must first qualify for the Cup of Nations and win. We must go back and make sure that we have a team that can create and create dreams in the future. And win titles to prove that we are on the right path,” added Ouahbi.

Morocco has a poor record in the Cup of Nations, despite being at the top of the continent. They won one African Cup of Nations in 1976 before being awarded the title in 2025 after Senegal were stripped of the trophy due to their final exit. The decision is being appealed and could be reversed.

Morocco will be back in action in September when the Cup of Nations starts. They have Gabon, Lesotho and Niger in their group, which looks like a regular job.

But if they have any hope of winning the 2030 World Cup, they will need to have a strong diet of rivals to improve their chances.

“Of course, the Cup of Nations is not a World Cup. This is a different competition, with opponents who have different games,” said the coach.

“So, if you’re not used to playing this style of play, when you’re not ready for the World Cup, you can be dismissed very quickly.”