The Royal Moroccan Football Federation on Thursday renewed its confidence in Mohamed Ouhbi, head coach of the national team, after the 'Atlas Lions' reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup. The federation stated in a communiqué that its executive bureau met and announced the renewal of confidence in Ouhbi to continue his duties as coach of the team, which delivered an impressive performance in the tournament. The coach had stated during a television interview last May that his contract runs until 2030. Ouhbi, 49, took over the national team last March, shortly before the start of the World Cup, succeeding Walid Regragui after the Africa Cup of Nations final early this year in Rabat, which is still pending before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the African federation stripped the title from Senegal despite their 1-0 win over Morocco due to events during the match. Ouhbi, who won the Under-20 World Cup with Morocco in 2025, managed to change the team's playing style, introduce new players, and alter the roles of some players, including Ismael Saibari who transformed into a prolific striker under him. Overall, Morocco played a strong attacking game and dominated possession in most matches, especially in the opener against Brazil (1-1). Ouhbi also showed an ability to improve performance in matches where he faced difficulties, such as the round of 16 against Canada, which he decided in the second half (3-0) despite Canada being the better side in the first half. Morocco was the only team outside Europe and South America to reach the quarter-finals of the ongoing World Cup, and the first African team to reach this stage in two consecutive editions.