His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, praised the performance of the Moroccan national football team following their defeat against France in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals, stating that the "Atlas Lions" have made the Arab world proud.

The Moroccan national team suffered a 2-0 defeat against France in a high-stakes match on Thursday night, ending their bid for the World Cup semi-finals. With this victory, France advanced to the final four of the tournament and will face the winner of the match between Spain and Belgium in the semi-finals.

In a message following the match, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid described the Moroccan team's performance as "honorable," addressing the players: "You have made the Arab world proud. Thank you, Atlas Lions. You were unlucky, but your best days are yet to come, God willing."

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France took the lead in the 60th minute through Kylian Mbappé, followed six minutes later by a second goal from Ousmane Dembélé, making a comeback increasingly difficult for Morocco. The Guardian reported that with this victory, France became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament.

Morocco had reached the quarter-finals after a 3-0 victory over Canada; however, influential forward Ismael Saibari was absent from the lineup against France due to a hamstring injury. Saibari had previously scored in all three group stage matches and converted the decisive penalty in the shootout against the Netherlands.

Despite their exit from the World Cup, Morocco’s performance once again resonated across the Arab world. Having previously captured global attention with a historic semi-final run at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the team’s progression to the final eight in this edition solidifies their status as a major power in African and Arab football.