Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has rejected the idea that his team has already achieved enough at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Ahead of Thursday’s quarter-final against France, he said that the Atlas Lions are aiming to win the tournament. Even though France are considered favourites, Ouahbi believes his team can go further.&nbsp;"We will take stock at the end of the tournament," Ouahbi told reporters, as per Reuters. "I will not say anything now because we can have more. We are not going to listen to people who will say 'what you have done up to now is wonderful'." "France are favourites but we will do everything possible to win tomorrow and qualify for the semi-finals," he added. "I don't like this feeling 'we have done well to get here and all the rest is bonus'. No, the bonus is to win the World Cup. This is how we have come this far and we will go further."&nbsp;Ouahbi also said that his players must play with confidence and without fear against one of the strongest teams in the competition.&nbsp;"It is not a question of assets," he said, according to Reuters. "The Moroccan side is evolving as is France. The key is to play the match without regrets. There are things to improve tomorrow. We have to play at 2,000 per cent and not think what we have done up to now is not bad."&nbsp;France come into the quarter-final after winning all five of their matches. They topped Group I, beat Sweden and then defeated Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16 thanks to a penalty from Kylian Mbappe.&nbsp;Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2026-england-and-argentina-referees-can-t-officiate-in-each-other-s-matches-and-the-answer-lies-in-1982-1783578955046">FIFA 2026 | England and Argentina referees can't officiate in each other's matches and the answer lies in 1982</a>&nbsp;While, Morocco have continued to impress since their historic semi-final run in Qatar four years ago. Ranked seventh in the world, they finished second in Group C before beating the Netherlands on penalties in the Round of 32 and defeating co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16.&nbsp;

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Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2026-we-want-fair-play-us-fifa-task-force-chief-defends-trump-calling-infantino-in-balogun-red-card-case-1783571497195">FIFA | US FIFA task force chief defends Trump's call in Balogun red card case</a>&nbsp;Azzedine Ounahi scored twice in that match, while substitute Soufiane Rahimi added another goal.&nbsp;The Atlas Lions are unbeaten in their last 10 matches since January’s Africa Cup of Nations final. However, they are still looking for their first win over France, having lost four and drawn two of their previous six meetings.&nbsp;The winner of Thursday’s quarter-final will advance to the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals and will face either Spain or Belgium.&nbsp;With inputs from agencies

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi says the Atlas Lions are aiming to win the World Cup and are not thinking about how far they have already come ahead of the France clash.

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has rejected the idea that his team has already achieved enough at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Ahead of Thursday’s quarter-final against France, he said that the Atlas Lions are aiming to win the tournament. Even though France are considered favourites, Ouahbi believes his team can go further. "We will take stock at the end of the tournament," Ouahbi told reporters, as per Reuters. "I will not say anything now because we can have more. We are not going to listen to people who will say 'what you have done up to now is wonderful'." "France are favourites but we will do everything possible to win tomorrow and qualify for the semi-finals," he added. "I don't like this feeling 'we have done well to get here and all the rest is bonus'. No, the bonus is to win the World Cup. This is how we have come this far and we will go further." Ouahbi also said that his players must play with confidence and without fear against one of the strongest teams in the competition. "It is not a question of assets," he said, according to Reuters. "The Moroccan side is evolving as is France. The key is to play the match without regrets. There are things to improve tomorrow. We have to play at 2,000 per cent and not think what we have done up to now is not bad." France come into the quarter-final after winning all five of their matches. They topped Group I, beat Sweden and then defeated Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16 thanks to a penalty from Kylian Mbappe. Also Read - FIFA 2026 | England and Argentina referees can't officiate in each other's matches and the answer lies in 1982 While, Morocco have continued to impress since their historic semi-final run in Qatar four years ago. Ranked seventh in the world, they finished second in Group C before beating the Netherlands on penalties in the Round of 32 and defeating co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16.

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi says the Atlas Lions are aiming to win the World Cup and are not thinking about how far they have already come ahead of the France clash.

FIFA 2026| 'Bonus is to win World Cup': Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi eyes France upset in quarter-final

Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi remained confident about the future of Moroccan football after his team secured a 1-1 draw against five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil in their opening Group C fixture at MetLife Stadium on Saturday. The North African side impressed against one of the tournament’s strongest contenders, matching Brazil’s intensity throughout the contest and earning a valuable point to kick off their campaign.&nbsp;Morocco struck first in the 21st minute when Ismael Saibari found the net after a strong opening spell in which his side created several opportunities. Brazil responded 11 minutes later through Vinicius Jr, whose equaliser ensured the teams went into halftime level.&nbsp;The second half remained highly competitive, with both sides creating numerous chances in an entertaining, end-to-end encounter. Despite a total of 27 attempts on goal, neither team could find a winner, thanks to excellent saves from goalkeepers Bono and Alisson.&nbsp;Speaking after the match, Ouahbi praised his players for their performance and their commitment to playing brave, possession-based football against top-level opposition.&nbsp;"For the future of Moroccan football, we are confident. We drew; we're happy. I'm not sad. We would have wanted to win, obviously, but I'm not sad," Ouahbi told reporters after the match.&nbsp;"What I'm really proud of is that we're bold enough to play and ask for the ball under pressure. This is a great quality that we have."&nbsp;Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/nba-final-new-york-knicks-break-53-year-drought-with-title-victory-over-spurs-1781410355376">NBA Final: New York Knicks break 53-year drought with title victory over Spurs</a> The coach had spoken before the tournament about Morocco moving beyond the underdog tag that followed their historic run to the World Cup semi-finals four years ago, when they became the first African nation to reach the last four. Following the draw, Ouahbi reiterated his ambitions for the team. "I want to go beyond the semi-finals, but it was a good match," he said. "One is good enough, and we'll improve." The Moroccan coach also praised the support his team received despite being outnumbered in the stands. "I don't know if 20% of the crowd were Moroccans, but we could hear them very loudly. If it was only 20%, they fooled me into thinking there were many more of them there," Ouahbi said, according to Reuters.&nbsp;"I hope they had great fun watching a good match tonight, and I hope this will continue." The result leaves Morocco and Brazil with one point each in Group C as the race for the knockout stages gets underway. Morocco will face Scotland in their next Group C clash, whereas Brazil will take on Haiti on Saturday.&nbsp;With inputs from agencies

Speaking after the match, head coach Ouahbi praised his players for their performance and their commitment to playing brave, possession-based football against top-level opposition.

Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi remained confident about the future of Moroccan football after his team secured a 1-1 draw against five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil in their opening Group C fixture at MetLife Stadium on Saturday. The North African side impressed against one of the tournament’s strongest contenders, matching Brazil’s intensity throughout the contest and earning a valuable point to kick off their campaign. Morocco struck first in the 21st minute when Ismael Saibari found the net after a strong opening spell in which his side created several opportunities. Brazil responded 11 minutes later through Vinicius Jr, whose equaliser ensured the teams went into halftime level. The second half remained highly competitive, with both sides creating numerous chances in an entertaining, end-to-end encounter. Despite a total of 27 attempts on goal, neither team could find a winner, thanks to excellent saves from goalkeepers Bono and Alisson. Speaking after the match, Ouahbi praised his players for their performance and their commitment to playing brave, possession-based football against top-level opposition. "For the future of Moroccan football, we are confident. We drew; we're happy. I'm not sad. We would have wanted to win, obviously, but I'm not sad," Ouahbi told reporters after the match. "What I'm really proud of is that we're bold enough to play and ask for the ball under pressure. This is a great quality that we have." Also Read - NBA Final: New York Knicks break 53-year drought with title victory over Spurs The coach had spoken before the tournament about Morocco moving beyond the underdog tag that followed their historic run to the World Cup semi-finals four years ago, when they became the first African nation to reach the last four. Following the draw, Ouahbi reiterated his ambitions for the team. "I want to go beyond the semi-finals, but it was a good match," he said. "One is good enough, and we'll improve." The Moroccan coach also praised the support his team received despite being outnumbered in the stands. "I don't know if 20% of the crowd were Moroccans, but we could hear them very loudly. If it was only 20%, they fooled me into thinking there were many more of them there," Ouahbi said, according to Reuters. "I hope they had great fun watching a good match tonight, and I hope this will continue." The result leaves Morocco and Brazil with one point each in Group C as the race for the knockout stages gets underway. Morocco will face Scotland in their next Group C clash, whereas Brazil will take on Haiti on Saturday. With inputs from agencies

Speaking after the match, head coach Ouahbi praised his players for their performance and their commitment to playing brave, possession-based football against top-level opposition.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Head coach Ouahbi hails Morocco’s fearless display after Brazil draw

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FIFA 2026| 'Bonus is to win World Cup': Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi eyes France upset in quarter-final

FIFA 2026: Head coach Ouahbi hails Morocco’s fearless display after Brazil draw