Morocco’s Regragui Faces Critical World Cup Qualifiers Amid Mounting Pressure

Walid Regragui must win the next two matches scheduled in June against Zambia at home and Congo in Brazzaville, counting for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The results of these two matches will be crucial for the Moroccan technician, in the sense that the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, which renewed its confidence in him despite the disappointing elimination in the round of 16 of the 2023 CAN Côte d’Ivoire, will have difficulty accepting a non-qualification of the Atlas Lions for the 2026 World Cup after their epic in Qatar in 2022.

Aware of the stakes, Regragui continues to refine his list of players to maximize his chances. The Moroccan coach plans to recall Romain Saïss, Abdelhamid Sabiri and Jawad El Yamiq who missed the two friendly matches against Angola (1-0) and Mauritania (0-0). The coach of the Atlas Lions is, however, undecided about Nayef Aguerd (West Ham) and Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich) who are not active in their respective clubs. One has remained on the bench in the match against Wolverhampton, and the other was not aligned against Heidenheim.

Walid Regragui will, however, be able to count on new talents like Brahim Diaz and Eliesse Ben Seghir to meet the challenge of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.