Morocco ranked among favorites for world title

100 days before the tournament, Morocco is changing in scale. According to the American media ESPN, the Atlas Lions are now in 8th place among the favorites for the title, just ahead of Colombia. This ranking, dominated by Spain, France and Argentina, recognizes the consistency of a team that reached the semi-finals in 2022 and had a perfect qualifying campaign with eight consecutive victories.

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The first gathering of the Mohamed Ouahbi era began on Monday at the Mohammed VI Complex in Maâmora. Stalwarts like Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz and Noussair Mazraoui have joined the group to prepare for the March friendly matches. The program includes intensive training sessions in Morocco before a departure for Spain, where the national team will face Ecuador and then Paraguay.

For his first list of 28 players, Regragui’s successor is banking on continuity and youth. The coach has called up several U20 world champions he has coached himself, including Yassir Zabiri and Yassine Gessime. These new faces are joining the "den" alongside experienced reinforcements like Issa Diop and Mohamed Rabie Hrimat to broaden the collective base.

This renewal is taking place without a break with the historical core. Pillars such as Azzedine Ounahi and Ayoub El Kaabi remain the essential references of a group that seeks to combine freshness and maturity. The end-of-March matches will serve as a first laboratory to refine the automatisms before the start of the hostilities in a tough world group including Brazil, Scotland and Haiti.

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In 2022, Morocco had created the surprise. In 2026, it is moving forward with an assumed ambition: that of establishing itself durably at the top of the world hierarchy. These last 100 days of preparation will be decisive to validate the potential of a generation that no longer hides its desire to aim for the supreme title.