Mohamed Ouahbi Morocco’s Winning Machine Faces France Quarterfinal

Morocco didn’t just eliminate the Netherlands and then dominate Canada. It confirmed the establishment of a man at the head of its sporting project. Mohamed Ouahbi, appointed coach in March, has navigated the 2026 World Cup with discreet authority, far from grand speeches, but with a very clear directive.

On Bladi.net : Morocco’s Rising Stars: Ouahbi’s Tactical Brilliance Propels U20 Team to World Cup Final

His career largely explains this success. Before arriving on the bench of the Lions of the Atlas, the Belgian-Moroccan tactician built himself away from the noise, in youth development, as RMC recalls. Having worked at Anderlecht, where he spent many years with young players, he climbed the ranks until leading the club’s U19 team to the Youth League semi-final during the 2014-2015 season.

This youth development culture, Mohamed Ouahbi later transported to Morocco. In March 2022, he takes over the national U20 selection. Three years later, he leads the Lion Cubs of the Atlas to the world title in Chile. This triumph, in October 2025, didn’t just enrich Moroccan football’s trophy cabinet. It above all validated a method.

For those who knew him in Belgium, this trajectory is no accident. Jean-François Lenvain, former head of the social department at RSC Anderlecht, describes him as a "winning machine." The compliment is strong, but it sums up the Ouahbi paradox well: a calm, almost reserved coach, but driven by an obsession with results.

His past as a physical education teacher in difficult neighborhoods of Brussels also shaped his way of managing a group. Ouahbi doesn’t just look at the player; he seeks to understand the man behind the jersey. This social fiber allows him to enter a dressing room without brutality, but without losing his authority.

A calm but implacable authority

This is perhaps where the true strength of the Moroccan coach lies. Mohamed Ouahbi doesn’t give the image of a coach who crushes his group. He listens, lets his collaborators propose, accepts ideas. But when it comes time to decide, it’s he who makes the call.

Nasser Larguet, former technical director of Saudi Arabia, emphasizes this capacity to open debate while keeping the final decision. The Moroccan coach is not into theatrical command. He sets a framework, holds his entourage accountable, then imposes his line.

This line can be harsh. The most spectacular proof remains his choice not to select Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal, two major players in the recent history of the Lions of the Atlas, who together have more than 100 selections. In Morocco, where these names carry weight, the decision could have exposed him. Ouahbi assumed it.

This is where the other facet of the character appears. Behind the developer, there is a coach capable of cutting to the quick. Ahmed Rami, a close acquaintance from Schaerbeek, speaks of an "iron fist in a velvet glove." The formula perfectly fits what we’ve seen since the start of the World Cup: a serene Morocco, but never soft; patient, but never passive.

The quarterfinal against France thus arrives as a very high-level test. The Blues have experience, individual talent, and the habit of these appointments. But Morocco now has something more than popular momentum or a memory of 2022. It has a coach who has already won with young players, who has succeeded in his transition to the senior team, and who has given his group a solid mental structure.

On Bladi.net : From U20 gold to Seniors: Mohamed Ouahbi’s bet to carry Morocco

The question is no longer simply whether Mohamed Ouahbi can extend Walid Regragui’s work. He is already writing his own chapter. And facing France, Morocco will not count only on its players. It will also count on this calm, methodical, and demanding machine, which learned to win before discovering the spotlight.