World Cup dreams over, but Egypt and Morocco have made Arab fans proud

LONDON: The Arab challenge at the 2026 World Cup ended this week but what a moment it was. At this tournament, Morocco and Egypt have done the region proud.

Just 48 hours after the Pharaohs came within minutes of eliminating defending champions Argentina in a hugely exciting and controversial game, Morocco met France, the best team in the world. Les Bleus won 2-0 in the Boston sunshine on Thursday but the Atlas Lions have confirmed their status as a new powerhouse.

Morocco reached the last four in 2022 to be defeated by the French and the same happened this time at the quarterfinal stage. Now though, the two teams met as respected rivals.

The Reds shocked the world in Qatar by knocking out Spain and Portugal but now there is no doubt they are one of the big boys. That was shown in the 1-1 draw with Brazil in the opening game when Brazil were as satisfied as the Africans who then knocked out the Netherlands and eased past co-hosts Canada.

In truth, France were a level above, as they have been with everyone in this tournament. Bayern Munich midfielder Ismael Saibari was injured and a huge miss but even a full-strength team from any nation would struggle to stop a devastating attacking lineup of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Michael Olise.

Egypt’s World Cup may have ended in controversy with many feeling that Argentina were favored by the referee and the VAR team, but when the dust settles and emotions calm down, the overwhelming feeling should be pride. The Pharaohs gave 120 million of their compatriots three unforgettable weeks.

That game against Argentina was a classic. Egypt went toe-to-toe with the defending champions, with the mighty Lionel Messi, and took the lead. And then, in the second