France is the best in the world…and Morocco needs stronger alternatives to face major challenges

The coach of the Moroccan national team, Mohamed Wehbe, said that his players faced a French team that had great quality in all positions, considering that the exit from the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup does not diminish the gains achieved by the “Atlas Lions” in the tournament.

Wehbe explained, during the press conference after the match, that the Moroccan team entered the match with the ambition of competing for the qualification ticket, despite its awareness of the magnitude of the challenge facing one of the most prominent candidates to win the title.

He added: “We knew before the match that we would face a team that is considered one of the best in the world, and includes players at the highest level in all fields, but that did not prevent us from believing in our ability to achieve victory, or at least compete until the end.”

He pointed out that the players gave everything they had on the field, but the match also revealed some aspects that needed development. He said: “We faced difficult circumstances, most notably injuries that affected our technical choices and prevented us from benefiting from a number of important players, which had a clear impact on the course of the match.”

The Moroccan coach confirmed that the technical staff will benefit from the lessons produced by the tournament, especially with regard to increasing the depth of the squad.

He said: “When you compete in a tournament the size of the World Cup, you must have a large group of players who are able to provide the same level when needed. This is one of the most important lessons we learned, and we must work in the future to expand the base of choices so that we have alternatives of the same quality.”

Wehbe stressed that reaching the quarter-finals represents a positive step in the path of the Moroccan national team, but stressed that the ambitions do not stop there.

He said: “Reaching the final price is a good achievement and gives us confidence to continue working, but we do not want to be satisfied with what has been achieved. We have to build on this participation and benefit from the experiences that the players have gained, because football is constantly evolving, and if we want to remain among the major teams, we must continue to develop.”