Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi refused to hide behind injuries after his side’s FIFA World Cup quarter-final defeat to France, insisting excuses have no place in international football and maintaining that the Atlas Lions already possess everything required to become future world champions.
Morocco’s impressive tournament came to an end with a 2-0 defeat to the two-time world champions, a match in which several key players were either unavailable or not fully fit.
Yet, when asked whether injuries had played a decisive role, Ouahbi immediately dismissed the suggestion.
“I’m not going to dwell on the players who are injured,” the Morocco coach said.
“That’s how it is.”
Rather than pointing to absentees, the 49-year-old stressed that every national team must be prepared to cope with setbacks during a major tournament.
“It happens in all national teams,” he said.
“There are players who can’t play every match.”
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi has been the head coach of the Morocco national football team since March 5, 2026.
Ouahbi reminded reporters that tournament football is built around squad depth, not simply the quality of a preferred starting XI.
“We take 26 players because we know that we will need them,” he explained.
“We can’t play with just 11.”
The former Belgium youth coach admitted Morocco had hoped to produce more with the ball against France but accepted that Didier Deschamps’ side deserved their victory.
“We wanted to do more with the ball,” he said.
“But you have to admit that France were good too.”
Despite the disappointment of elimination, Ouahbi quickly shifted the conversation from the defeat itself to the bigger picture, arguing that Morocco’s long term project remains firmly on course.
READMORE: Deschamps predicts bright future for Morocco after World Cup heartbreak
The coach believes the country’s football infrastructure has developed to the point where competing for the World Cup should no longer be viewed as an unrealistic ambition.
“We have a great pool of players,” he said.
“We have a strong federation.”
He also praised the continued investment in Moroccan football, highlighting the support that has helped transform the national team into one of Africa’s most consistent forces on the international stage.
“His Majesty invests a lot so that we can be here today in the quarterfinals of the World Cup,” Ouahbi said.
According to the Morocco boss, those foundations give the Atlas Lions every reason to believe they can eventually challenge for football’s biggest prize.
“We have everything we need,” he declared.
“So we just have to not panic, question ourselves, see what we can improve and move forward.”
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Having reached another World Cup quarterfinal just months after taking charge, Ouahbi believes the gap between Morocco and the game’s traditional powers continues to narrow.
