Morocco Qualifies for 2026 World Cup Under New Coach Mohamed Ouahbi

Morocco enters the 2026 World Cup ranked inside the top 10 of the FIFA men’s rankings after reaching the semifinals at the 2022 Qatar tournament. The Atlas Lions also won the 2025 AFCON title after Senegal were stripped of it, reached the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final, and captured the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup, 2025 African Nations Championship, 2025 U-20 FIFA World Cup, 2025 U-17 AFCON, 2024 Olympic men’s bronze and 2024 Futsal AFCON titles.

A source close to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation said the results rest on three pillars set in motion at the 2008 Skhirat Sports Conference by King Mohammed VI.

Governance reform created a national department for financial control. Public investment produced thousands of local “proximity fields” and the Mohammed VI complex and academy in Maamoura outside Rabat, complete with manicured pitches, therapy equipment and an on-site hotel. The academy supplied senior starters Nayef Aguerd, Azzedine Ounahi and Youssef En-Nesyri.

African federations successfully lobbied FIFA to loosen eligibility rules, allowing Morocco to add Hakim Ziyech, Nordin Amrabat and Brahim Diaz. The latest recruit is 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who had captained France’s U-21 side as recently as two months before 31 May 2026. ” The 2025 AFCON final produced lasting turbulence.

With the score 0-0 in second-half stoppage time, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty. Senegal’s players walked off the pitch and fans clashed with stewards. After a 15-minute delay the teams returned; Brahim Diaz’s panenka was saved by Edouard Mendy, and Senegal won in extra time.

Coach Walid Regragui resigned weeks later. The federation appointed Mohamed Ouahbi, who had led the U-20 side to the October 2025 world title. His first senior matches were March friendlies. ” In Qatar 2022, Morocco remained undefeated in every match with less than 50 percent possession and lost only to France when holding the majority of the ball.

Observers note that Ouahbi’s more attacking style will face its first major test at the 2026 tournament, which Morocco will host again in 2030 as part of a long-term national project.