Morocco in the 2026 World Cup…historic numbers and Bono the “big hero”

The end of the Moroccan team’s journey in the 2026 World Cup was not what the Moroccan and Arab fans had hoped for, after the journey stopped in the quarter-finals with a loss to France with two unanswered goals, but that did not prevent the “Atlas Lions” from leaving the tournament carrying new achievements that consolidated the position of Moroccan football among the world’s top teams.

Four years after the historic achievement in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when Morocco became the first Arab and African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, the Moroccan team returned to confirm that what happened was not an exception or a stroke of luck, but rather the result of an integrated football project that proved its ability to compete at the highest levels.

Although the dream was interrupted by the French team for the second time in a row, Morocco left the tournament having recorded new historical records, most notably the fact that it became the first Arab team to qualify for the knockout rounds in two successive editions of the World Cup, in clear confirmation of the continued development of Moroccan football.

“Emirates Today” monitors the most prominent stages of the Moroccan national team’s participation in the 2026 World Cup, starting from the group stage, passing through the achievements and records, all the way to the sad end against France, which did not erase what the “Atlas Lions” provided throughout the tournament.

Project continuation

The Moroccan national team entered the tournament amid high expectations after its historic success in the 2022 edition, but it was aware that the most difficult challenge was to prove that reaching the semi-finals four years ago was not a passing achievement.

The “Atlas Lions” showed a strong personality since the beginning of the tournament, and presented balanced levels of defense and attack, before continuing their path to the elimination rounds with great confidence, booking their place in the round of 16 for the second time in a row, in an Arab precedent that no team has achieved.

A difficult crossing in front of the Netherlands

In the round of 32, Morocco clashed with the Netherlands national team in a strong tactical confrontation, the regular and extra time of which ended in a 1-1 draw, before the decision smiled for the Atlas Lions on penalties with a score of 3-2. During that match, the Moroccan team restored the images of defensive solidity and tactical discipline for which it was famous in the previous edition, while goalkeeper Yassine Bounou continued his brilliance in the penalty shootout, confirming his position as one of the most prominent goalkeepers in the history of Arab participation in the World Cup.

In the quarter-finals, Morocco found itself again facing the French team, in a replay of the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Despite the balanced start, the Moroccan team suffered a heavy blow with the absence of defender Shadi Riyad due to injury, which clearly affected the defensive balance, and coach Mohamed Wehbe was forced to adjust the positions of a number of players, most notably Nassir Mazraoui, who played at the heart of the defence.

The Moroccan team also missed the services of its top scorer, Ismail Saibari, who was one of the most prominent keys to play throughout the tournament, which was reflected in the attacking effectiveness, especially in the final third. On the other hand, the French team took advantage of the quality of its individual players, and Kylian Mbappe succeeded in scoring the first goal, before Ousmane Dembélé added the second goal, so the match ended with Morocco losing 2-0, and the journey stopped at the quarter-finals.

Bono continues to write history

Despite the exit, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou continued to write his name in the World Cup records, after he saved a penalty kick taken by Kylian Mbappe during the match.

Bono thus raised his tally of four penalty kicks he saved in the history of his participation in the World Cup, whether during matches or via penalty kicks, joining an elite list of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the tournament, which includes the German Harald Schumacher, the Spaniard Iker Casillas, the Argentine Sergio Goicochea, and the Croatians Daniel Subasic and Dominik Livakovic. He also became the first Moroccan goalkeeper to save a penalty kick during regular time in a World Cup match, and strengthened his record as the goalkeeper whose matches witnessed the most missed penalty kicks in the history of the tournament.

Praise and criticism

Morocco’s exit sparked a division in the Moroccan media. While many newspapers considered that the team left “with their heads held high,” others believed that the performance against France was not up to expectations. Newspapers praised the Moroccan participation, stressing that the team had consolidated its position among the world’s top teams, and that what was achieved in Qatar 2022 was not an exception, but rather the beginning of a successful project.

On the other hand, some analyzes focused on the impact of absences, especially the absence of Shadi Riyad and Ismail Sibari, considering that the team lacked defensive balance and offensive solutions in the most important match.

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Figures confirm the development of Moroccan football

– The first Arab team to qualify for the knockout rounds in two consecutive editions of the World Cup.

– Morocco’s third consecutive participation in the World Cup, which reflects the stability of the football project.

– Reaching the quarter-finals after reaching the semi-finals in the 2022 edition, confirming his permanent presence among the top teams.

– Yassine Bounou became one of the goalkeepers who saved most penalty kicks in the history of the World Cup.

– Morocco continues to be the best representative of Arab and African football in the last two editions of the tournament.