Morocco's national football team, the Atlas Lions, saw their 2026 World Cup journey end in the quarterfinals with a 2-1 loss to France on July 10, 2026, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The match was a rematch of the 2022 semifinal, which France won 2-0.
Morocco had advanced through a strong group stage and defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in the round of 16. France, the defending champions, took an early lead through Kylian Mbappé in the 15th minute. Morocco equalized via a goal from Achraf Hakimi in the 42nd minute, but France's Antoine Griezmann scored the winner in the 78th minute.
Despite the loss, Morocco's performance was praised as their best-ever World Cup showing, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time. Coach Walid Regragui said, 'We gave everything, but France showed their quality.' The team returns home to a heroes' welcome.
