Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said &ldquo;we&rsquo;re no longer a surprise&rdquo; after reaching the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/things-to-do/article/2026-fifa-world-cup-decoding-the-colourful-jerseys-and-how-indias-blues-could-look-on-the-big-stage-23633022" rel="nofollow">FIFA World Cup</a> quarter-finals on Saturday.
The north African side were not at their best but were clinical in defeating co-hosts Canada 3-0 in Houston and will face France next.
<img title="Morocco players celebrate a goal vs Canada on Saturday. Pic/AFP" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jul/MoroccoPlayers_e.jpg" alt="Morocco players celebrate a goal vs Canada on Saturday. Pic/AFP" width="1280" height="720" />Morocco players celebrate a goal vs Canada on Saturday. Pic/AFP
After a first half littered with more bookings than shots and with Canada on top, midfielder Azzedine Ounahi fired the opener on 50 minutes.
Canada &mdash; playing the biggest game in their footballing history &mdash; pushed for an equaliser, but Ounahi scored his second to finally see off the resistance of Jesse Marsch&rsquo;s men. Substitute Soufiane Rahimi slipped in the third with the last kick of the match.
Morocco made the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup and won the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, and Ouahbi said: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re no longer a surprise today and that&rsquo;s a great source of pride.
&ldquo;I think this is only the beginning and I hope we&rsquo;ll keep producing this kind of run for many years.&rdquo;
Morocco lost to France in the last four at Qatar 2022, but the coach said revenge was not their motivation.
&ldquo;We want to go as far as possible and make our people proud,&rdquo; he said.
Two No. of consecutive World Cup quarter-final appearances for Morocco (2022 &amp; 2026) &mdash; the first African nation to do so
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“I think this is only the beginning and I hope we’ll keep producing this kind of run for many years.”

FIFA World Cup 2026 | We’re no longer a surprise: Morocco coach Ouahbi

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FIFA World Cup 2026 | We’re no longer a surprise: Morocco coach Ouahbi

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