The 2026 World Cup has improved the atmosphere in the Moroccan national team, specifically between its stars Achraf Hakimi and Ibrahim Diaz, after the tension that arose between them since the end of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Diaz had missed a Panenka-style penalty in stoppage time of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, allowing Senegal to come back and score the winning goal in extra time, before the title was later taken away from the 'Teranga Lions'.

French newspaper 'L'Équipe' reported that this incident caused a significant strain in Hakimi's relationship with Ibrahim Diaz, as the Paris Saint-Germain full-back did not accept taking the penalty in that manner at that moment.

This tension persisted in the relationship between the two players until the next camp in March, even though Ibrahim Diaz tried to apologize to the group for his actions, but Hakimi did not accept it.

This was the file that Mohamed Ouahbi worked on after taking over as technical director of the Moroccan national team, succeeding Walid Regragui. With the help of some 'Atlas Lions' stars, he succeeded in calming matters between the players.

The newspaper indicated that the two players have not become close friends at the moment, but they are working side by side to lead Morocco to a historic achievement in the World Cup.

Morocco will face France today, Thursday, at Gillette Stadium in Boston, USA, in the opening match of the World Cup quarter-finals.

The 'Atlas Lions' aim to repeat the greatest Arab and African achievement in World Cup history by reaching the semi-finals, as they did in the last edition of the tournament in 2022 in Qatar.