Morocco Boss Eyes WC Final - 'I Want To Go Further Than 2022'

After holding Brazil to a 1-1 draw in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi admitted it would have been nice to get all three points and revealed that he wants the Atlas Lions to better their historic semi-final finish from 2022.

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The North Africans produced one of the standout performances of the opening round, taking the game to the five-time world champions and creating a host of opportunities throughout the contest.

Morocco were rewarded for their positive start when Ismael Saibari capitalised on a defensive lapse to give his side the lead, while Achraf Hakimi also came close to doubling the advantage shortly afterwards.

Brazil eventually found a response through Vinicius Junior, who marked his 50th international appearance with a superb strike to level matters before half-time.

Despite increased pressure from Carlo Ancelotti's side in the latter stages, Morocco remained organised defensively and almost snatched victory deep into stoppage time, only for Alisson Becker to produce a brilliant double save that denied Neil El Aynaoui and Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab.

Reflecting on the performance, Ouahbi praised his players for sticking to their principles against one of the world's biggest football nations.

"We stuck to our principles. We had to play our game and play it well, and we were satisfied with that," Ouahbi said, according to FIFA.

"It would have been nice to win, but I'm not disappointed with the result."

While Morocco's run to the semi-finals in Qatar remains one of African football's greatest achievements, the coach made it clear that his ambitions extend even further this time around.

"If you offered me another semi-final like we managed in 2022, I'd tell you that I want to go further.

"It was a good game. It would have been nice to get more than a point out of it, but we'll take this, and we'll push on with our next match."

Ouahbi was also quick to highlight the performances of several emerging stars, while backing the next generation to continue Morocco's rise on the international stage.

"Ayyoub Bouaddi played very well, so did Neil El Aynaoui. I thought that Samir El Mourabet gave a great account of himself, and Azzedine Ounahi put in a great display in the first half, plus there's more to come from him.

"We also have Sofyan Amrabat, who's ready to show us what he can do when he's called on.

"There are also other members of the U20 World Cup-winning side who didn't quite make the squad this time. The future of Moroccan football is in very good hands."

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Following their encouraging display against Brazil, the Atlas Lions will head into their next Group C fixture against Scotland full of confidence as they continue their quest to make even more history on football's biggest stage.