The decision to part ways with Walid Regragui will remain mysterious until someone wins a major trophy for the Atlas Lions.
Regragui, 50, took Morocco to the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first coach from Africa to reach that milestone. Also, in the 2025 AFCON, he led the team to the finals, where they lost 1-0 to Senegal. It was the first time in 22 years that the Atlas Lions have played in the AFCON finals.
The country is ranked 8th, which is historic. These are the records: whoever succeeds Walid Regragui must at least equal or break to be regarded in high esteem.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation officially confirmed the appointment of Mohamed Ouahbi as the new head coach of the Atlas Lions, drawing massive mixed feelings among the fans of the famous North African national team.
He is the man tasked to lead the team with less than 100 days before the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico kicks off.
Who is Mohamed Ouahbi?
Mohamed Ouahbi was born in Belgium to Moroccan parents. The 49-year-old has been in coaching since 1997, having started from scratch to reach this level.
After managing Anderlecht youth between 2003 and 2014, he was promoted to the U21 managerial role from 2014 to 2015. Ouahbi became the assistant coach of Anderlecht in the 2015-16 season, where he later returned to the youth coaching role between 2016 and 2021.
Morocco came calling after he showed many promises, where he took charge of their U20 team, where they reached the finals of the African U20 Championship and defied all odds and won the FIFA U20 World Cup, becoming the second head coach to win the trophy for an African side.
He is currently the CAF Coach of the Year, having won the award in a ceremony in Morocco in 2025.
Ouabhi thanks Morocco for the opportunity
“My deepest thanks to His Majesty King Mohammed VI for his support of Moroccan football and for allowing us today to dream big.
“I will work with seriousness, humility, determination, and above all patriotism,” he promised.
Ouabhi’s message to the outgoing Regragui
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Walid Regragui – for the legacy you left us, for the solid, progressing team you built, and for your closeness to younger national coaches when you were not obliged to be.”
Walid Regragui deserves enormous credit for the wonderful job he has done for Morocco, and Ouahbi expertly praised him.
“I will make no distinction between a 19-year-old player and a 34-year-old one. Performance will decide,” the new coach continued. When quizzed about his plans for selection, the 49 year old dislosed that it will be based purely on performances.
Who are Morocco’s opponents at the World Cup?
Mohamed Ouahbi will have the opportunity to meet his players for the first time in the upcoming March international break. The Atlas Lions will face two South American opponents, Ecuador and Paraguay, who are World Cup-bound in friendly games.
Morocco has been grouped in Group C with Brazil, Scotland and Haiti for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
