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July 15, 2026

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 30: Kylian Mbappe #10 of France celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between France and Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 30, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

France ends Morocco’s World Cup run as last Arab and African team standing

Following the loss, no Arab or African teams remain in the tournament.

Latest News

Culture

Egypt, Morocco, Algeria make World Cup history in knockout stage

Alfredo ESTRELLA / AFP via Getty Images

Culture

Morocco upsets Netherlands to reach World Cup round of 16

Morocco's defender #14 Issa Diop (R) celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between the Netherlands and Morocco at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe on June 29, 2026.

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Sunset shot showing a row of electricity pylons in the desert, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Getty Images)

Analysis

2022 in review: Saudi-China, Qatar-Germany deals cap Middle East's energy developments

Hydrogen power, oil price fluctuations and electric vehicles could feature prominently in the region in 2023.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Morocco's sole oil refinery in Mohammedia, near Casablanca, on June 22, 2019. - Three years after it was liquidated for racking up billions of euros worth of debt, Morocco's sole oil refinery and one-time economic flagship is struggling to attract a buyer and survive. A self-declared "national front" -- comprising employees, economists and union leaders -- is leading the charge to salvage refining company SAMIR, while a trade court desperately seeks a new owner. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo credit should read

Morocco, Tunisia to face bloated energy costs over 2023-2024

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Morocco fans look on during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi final match between France and Morocco at Al Bayt Stadium on December 14, 2022 in Al Khor, Qatar. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Culture

Morocco loses to France, exits World Cup after heroic performance

Morocco became the first Arabic-speaking and African nation ever to reach the World Cup semifinals and has won over millions of fans across the world.

Achraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech of Morocco celebrate after the team's victory during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between Morocco and Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

Morocco and France players, bound by friendship, face off at World Cup

Morocco beat expectations in Doha last week by becoming the first African and Arabic-speaking country to make it to a World Cup semifinal.

Morocco players celebrate after their win in the penalty shoot out during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Morocco and Spain at Education City Stadium on December 06, 2022 in Al Rayyan, Qatar. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Culture

Morocco makes history advancing to World Cup semifinals

Morocco defeated Portugal on Saturday, becoming the first Arab and African nation ever to advance to the round of four in the world soccer championship. Today's game against Portugal has inspired jokes about the medieval Muslim conquest of Iberia.

Morocco's defender #25 Yahya Attiyallah waves his national flag as he celebrates with supporters winning on penalty shoot-out the Qatar 2022 World Cup round of 16 football match between Morocco and Spain at the Education City Stadium in Al-Rayyan, west of Doha on December 6, 2022. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Morocco defeats Spain at World Cup in Doha

Morocco was the only team from North Africa and the Middle East to advance to the round of 16, which won them a lot of support in both the Arab world and on the African continent.

Morocco soccer

Culture

Morocco becomes only MENA team to advance in World Cup

Spain is the next opponent for Morocco, whose team comprises many players from Europe of Moroccan heritage. The team has also used their performance in Doha to display pro-Palestine solidarity.

World Cup

Culture

Iran, Saudi, other MidEast teams warm up in Qatar as World Cup approaches

Iran is looking to advance to the second round for the first time ever, but the team is mired in controversy over the protests in the country while host Qatar itself is facing criticism at home.

A Moroccan farmer walks past solar panels that are connected to a generator which feeds a pump extracting water from underground in Tafoughalt, a little village deep in the mountains of Morocco's eastern Berkane province, on October 31, 2016. As the Cop22 gets underway in Marrakesh, negotiators are thrashing out the details of a landmark global agreement designed to stave off disastrous climate change, but in Tafoughalt that impact is being felt already. Rising temperatures are among the factors making the

Morocco’s transition to renewable energies to accelerate amid high hydrocarbons prices

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

A woman walks over cracked earth at al-Massira dam in Ouled Essi Masseoud village, some 140 kilometres (85 miles) south from Morocco's economic capital Casablanca, on August 8, 2022 amidst the country's worst drought in at least four decades. - Residents of Morocco's Ouled Essi Masseoud village are suffering from a series of successive droughts, prompting them to rely solely on sporadic supplies in public fountains and from private wells. The situation is critical, given the village's position in the agricu

Water stress to remain major driver of social instability, barrier to economic growth in Maghreb

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Moroccans raise placards as they gather in front of parliament in the capital Rabat to protest against rising prices, on February 20, 2022. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Inflation in Maghreb will continue to undercut real wages and feed social discontent

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Morocco refinery

Calls rise to reactivate Morocco’s only refinery as oil prices soar

Activists and opposition parties are calling for Morocco’s SAMIR oil plant to be brought back online after a seven-year hiatus to alleviate fossil fuel import pressure and enhance energy sovereignty.