World Cup 2026 - Morocco: "We must be ready to beat any team," says Yassine Bounou with conviction

Having qualified for the round of 16 with seven points, the Atlas Lions are looking ahead. Yassine Bounou has set the tone: Morocco is ready to take on anyone.

Morocco punched their ticket to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup with seven points, following a convincing 4-2 victory over Haiti on the final day of Group C. Finishing second behind Brazil on goal difference, the Atlas Lions head into the knockout stage brimming with confidence—a sentiment echoed by their goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

See also: World Cup 2026 – Algeria's qualification hopes take a hit

The Al Hilal shot-stopper made his ambitions clear during the press conference.

"If we want to go as far as possible in this competition, we shouldn't focus too much on the opponent we'll face, but rather be ready to beat any team," he declared emphatically.

Bounou did, however, acknowledge a challenging start against Haiti:

"We didn't start the match the way we wanted, but we managed to fix things over time and regain control."

The message couldn't be clearer. The Atlas Lions don't want to pick their opponents—they want to beat them all.

"Our goal is to keep going and go as far as possible in the World Cup," he concluded, carrying the hopes of an entire nation with him.

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

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Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

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