Motivation as a catalyst for human conduct has been associated with lots of variables. However, self-efficacy and resilience as two important components of the individuals’ psychological capital have not received enough scientific attention. This gets more significance considering the global COVID-19 pandemic with noticeable psychological consequences for the learners receiving online education. Hence, the current study proceeded to investigate the relationship between students’ self-efficacy, resilience, and academic motivation in online education. To this aim, a convenience sample of 120 university students coming from two state universities in south of Iran participated in an online survey. The questionnaires used in the survey included the self-efficacy questionnaire, resilience questionnaire, and academic motivation questionnaire. Pearson correlation and multiple regression statistical methods were applied to analyze the obtained data. The results pointed to a positive relationship between self-efficacy and academic motivation. In addition, those with a higher degree of resilience were found to experience higher academic motivation. Moreover, the results of multiple regression test revealed that self-efficacy and resilience can significantly predict the academic motivation of the students involved in an online mode of education. The research proposes a number of recommendations for developing the learners’ level of self-efficacy and resilience through enacting various pedagogical interventions. In this way, a heightened level of academic motivation would enhance EFL learners’ learning rate.