Morocco Beats African Teams at 2026 World Cup Quarter-Finals

Ten African selections participated in the 2026 World Cup, a record favored by the competition’s expansion to 48 teams. Nine of them passed the group stage, but Morocco was the only one to reach the quarter-finals.

On Bladi.net : Morocco vs France: Africa’s Last Hope in 2026 World Cup Quarter-Final

The Lions of the Atlas had approached the tournament in a delicate context. Walid Regragui had been replaced in March by Mohamed Ouahbi, tasked with installing more offensive, vertical and ambitious play.

Morocco showed promising performances against Brazil, before struggling against Scotland despite the victory, then beating Haiti. It then had to go through a penalty shootout to eliminate the Netherlands, before clearly dominating Canada in the round of 16, with a score of 3-0.

The journey ended against France. While reaching the quarter-finals is a solid result, the ease with which the Blues won 2-0 left a more mixed impression. Morocco never really seemed able to reproduce the feat achieved four years earlier in Qatar, El País analyzes.

Bono and Azzedine Ounahi were among the most performing Moroccan players of the tournament, along with Ismaël Saibari. But collectively, the team did not regain the solidity and intensity that had allowed it to reach the semi-finals in 2022.

Morocco alone amid the wrecks

Behind Morocco, the other African selections mainly paid for their poor management of match endings. Egypt was leading 2-0 against Argentina eleven minutes from the end, before losing 3-2.

Cape Verde also conceded decisive goals very late against Argentina. Senegal, which was leading 2-0 against Belgium, was caught up after two goals scored in the 86th and 89th minutes, before being eliminated on penalties in the 120th.

Ivory Coast gave way against Norway on a goal by Erling Haaland in the 86th minute. The Democratic Republic of Congo experienced the same fate against England, with two goals conceded in the final quarter of an hour.

South Africa, Algeria and Ghana also left the competition in the round of 16. Only Tunisia had failed to pass the first round, after a difficult group stage marked by a change of coach.

On Bladi.net : Morocco eliminated by France in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals: the scenario of The Athletic

Morocco therefore remains the African reference in the World Cup. But after the historic semi-final of 2022, a quarter-final concluded by a clear elimination appears more as a confirmation of its consistency than as new progress.