2026 World Cup: French outlets applaud Morocco’s showing against Brazil, Bouaddi on spotlight

The French media have widely praised Morocco’s remarkable performance against Brazil (1-1) in the opening match of Group C at the 2026 World Cup at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Described as “a clash that lived up to all its promises,” reports highlighted the quality of play by the Atlas Lions and the spectacular performance of young midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.

For Radio France Internationale (RFI), Morocco was “impressive,” and the Atlas Lions displayed “technique, possession, and beautiful football,” converting their dominance through Ismaël Saibari before being caught by an individual moment of brilliance from Vinicius Jr.

The article’s author believes that Morocco missed an opportunity to “make a major statement” and that the Atlas Lions will “certainly be a force to be reckoned with in this World Cup.”

A similar observation was made by L’Équipe, which noted a Brazilian team “suffocated by Morocco’s press” and largely dominated at the start of the match.

The sports daily wrote that the Atlas Lions logically opened the scoring following noticeable dominance, noting the contribution of young Ayyoub Bouaddi, described as playing “as if he had 100 caps” under his belt.

The Seleção, for its part, relied mainly on the talent of Vinicius Junior. The publication observed that the Real Madrid forward was the main, and “perhaps even the only,” Brazilian threat against the Moroccan team.

Le Figaro also noted that the Moroccans took the Brazilians “by the throat” right from the start of the match thanks to their aggressiveness and intensity, emphasizing the performance of Ayyoub Bouaddi, who was “absolutely radiant in his first World Cup match and already one of the gems of the competition.”

Le Parisien, meanwhile, spoke of a lively clash that kept all its promises, highlighting the satisfaction of Moroccan national coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who was “very proud” of his players for keeping “ball control” and maintaining pressure against one of the tournament’s favorites.

In an article titled “An impressive Morocco stands up to Brazil,” Ouest-France also spoke of an “impressive” Moroccan team and emphasized that the 2022 semi-finalists stood toe-to-toe with a Seleção that will have to “raise its level of play” to claim a sixth world title.

The online media outlet highlighted the performance of the Moroccan squad, which held Brazil in check, pointing out Ismael Saibari’s opening goal before Vinicius Jr’s equalizer, as well as the quality of football offered by the Atlas Lions against one of the tournament favorites.

The online news site also noted that Brazilian coach Carlo Ancelotti himself acknowledged the need for the Seleção to improve.

For its part, France 24 mentioned a “stellar debut” for 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, the author of a “boss-like performance, illustrated by his work in recovery, his availability in building from the back, and his maturity in the game.”

Returning to his choice to represent Morocco after playing for French youth teams, France 24 traced the journey of a “gifted” player and a “phenomenon of precocity,” whose promise to “do great things” with the Atlas Lions already appears to be fulfilled.

“The journey of a prodigy,” headlined the news channel, which focused on Ayyoub Bouaddi’s first official appearance in a Moroccan jersey, detailing in particular his match statistics and recalling his early rise to the highest level with Lille and his recent integration into the Atlas Lions.

Foot Mercato considered that Morocco rattled Brazil for a long time thanks to intense pressing and strong collective control before the Seleção reacted after the break.

The specialized sports outlet also insisted on Ayyoub Bouaddi’s performance, praising his maturity, his influence on the game, and his impact in duels.

The young Lille player, it observed, delivered a “massive” performance that “left a lasting impression,” emphasizing his ability to “dominate the proceedings, his omnipresence in the build-up of play, his impact in duels, as well as a maturity deemed remarkable.”

Finally, TF1 pointed out that against the Atlas Lions, who were captivating right from the kickoff, the “Auriverde” squad was unable to force a decision. The match ended in a draw after having lived up to all its promises as a first-round World Cup blockbuster between the semi-finalists of the last edition in Qatar and the five-time world champions.