🇲🇦 Morocco's World Cup story.

The story · Quarter-finals

Morocco opened with a 1-1 draw against Brazil and then beat Scotland 1-0. Twice behind against Haiti, it came back to win the final group match 4-2 and finished second in Group C with seven points, behind Brazil on goal difference. In the round of 32, Ismaël Diop scored in stoppage time to force extra time against the Netherlands; Yassine Bounou then saved a penalty and Ismaël Saibari converted the decisive kick in a 3-2 shootout win. Morocco eliminated Canada 3-0 in the round of 16 after surviving several early chances. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice and Soufiane Rahimi added the third. France won the quarter-final 2-0, with Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé making the difference in the second half. Morocco thus became the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals at consecutive World Cups. Saibari had scored in all three group matches, giving the run an attacking continuity beyond the defensive solidity associated with 2022.

From the tournament notebook

Before the quarter-final, coach Mohamed Ouahbi said his team would have to play at “2,000%” against France.

Sources ↗

Reporting through 2026-07-15