“We’re going to play to reach the semi-finals,” says Mohamed Ouahbi ahead of France - Morocco

The Atlas Lions’ manager has reaffirmed Morocco’s ambitions for the 2026 World Cup.

At a press conference ahead of the highly anticipated quarter-final between Morocco and France this Thursday 9 July at 8 pm GMT, Mohamed Ouahbi stated that his team is out to secure another victory. Far from being satisfied with the Atlas Lions’ run so far, the Morocco manager emphasised the sole objective ahead of Thursday’s match against France at Gillette Stadium. Morocco are aiming to secure a place in the semi-finals.

“When you say we’ve had a successful tournament, I don’t like that the final assessment comes at the end. We’re doing everything we can to win; we’re not going to listen to those who say, ‘What you’ve done so far is good enough’ or ‘France are the favourites’.

We won’t fall into that trap. We’re going to play to reach the semi-finals, as if our backs were against the wall. There’s no such thing as a bonus; the only bonus is winning the Cup.”