2026 World Cup: Morocco ranked top 10 by The Guardian under the era of Mohamed Ouahbi

Morocco is ranked 10th among the favorites for the 2026 World Cup according to the latest power ranking of The Guardian. This positioning comes after the surprise departure of Walid Regragui last month, who felt he had failed at the 2025 AFCON before the CAF finally confirmed the result. It is Mohamed Ouahbi, recent world champion with the under-20s, who has taken over.

On Bladi.net: Morocco: Mohamed Ouahbi surrounds himself with a Portuguese tactical genius to succeed Regragui

Under the impetus of Mohamed Ouahbi, the Atlas Lions are undergoing a very welcome tactical transformation. The team is moving away from the pragmatic style of the Regragui era, historically based on defensive rigor and set pieces. Observers note an increased offensive ambition, although one question remains for the British media: "which style is best suited to succeed in the World Cup?"

The March friendly matches served as a test for this new philosophy. Against Paraguay, the Moroccans won 2-1 by punishing two defensive errors, while they shared the points with Ecuador (1-1). These performances have helped to dispel doubts about the group’s ability to maintain its level of competitiveness during this phase of technical transition.

On Bladi.net: Mohamed Ouahbi’s plan to heal the wounds of the 2025 AFCON

For the group stage, Morocco will start their campaign against Brazil in New York, before facing Scotland in Boston and Haiti in Atlanta. The status of the national team remains very high on the continent, to the point that Walid Regragui is already being courted by the Ghanaian federation to replace Otto Addo. As a future co-host of the 2030 edition, Morocco is confirming its rank as a major power in world football.