Morocco Secures World Cup Qualifier Wins, but Performance Concerns Linger Ahead of 2025 AFCON

The Moroccan team is one step away from qualifying for the 2026 World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Atlas Lions won 2-0 against Tanzania on Tuesday, in the sixth round of the qualifiers, after their hard-fought victory over Niger (2-1) on Friday. The Atlas Lions are leaders of their group with 12 points, followed by Tanzania and Niger with 6 points and Zambia with 3 points. Adding the three points against the currently suspended Congo, Morocco has a total of 15 points in 5 matches. A flawless run for the men of Walid Regragui who will be able to secure their ticket for the 2026 World Cup final phase with a draw in the next matches.

Despite this feat, the Moroccan team does not seem to reassure, judging by its unconvincing performances in these two matches. "It will be difficult, given the current performance, to compete on an equal footing or to beat great teams," says sports analyst Abderrahim Ouchrif, stressing that the level of play displayed by the Moroccan selection "bodes nothing good despite the presence of great professional players and a solid human composition." In a statement to the website Al3omk, he also expressed the disappointment of the Moroccan public in the face of these dull performances of the Moroccan players, most of whom play in European championships.

These unconvincing performances of Regragui’s men, a few months before the 2025 AFCON organized in Morocco, raise many questions from the public. Analyzing the performance of the Moroccan players against Tanzania on Tuesday, El Mehdi Kasoua noted a first half "sterile in terms of exploiting spaces and creating a significant number of chances," stressing that overall, "the performance was good at the individual level, but collectively, there is still a lot of work to be done. We must improve the exploitation of certain combinations or triangles, whether on the wings or in depth. This is a point that coach Walid Regragui must revise, while working more on the development of the collective game before the Africa Cup."

For Ouchrif, this dull performance of the Atlas Lions would be due to a lack of confidence between the players. "The proof is that there is no attacking build-up allowing us to reach the goal, nor offensive finishing, especially when the ball comes from the back, it does not often reach En-Nesyri or the attackers," he developed, urging Regragui to review "his tactical strategy" as well as the "style of play" of the players. "If we talk about choices, especially in defense, everyone talks about the central defender position where we have not yet found a player capable of supporting Nayef Aguerd," he noted, observing that "Morocco applies a fixed plan and a stable formation," which "makes the task easier for the opposing teams that fall back in defense."

Ouchrif also called on the Moroccan technician to be more humble before the AFCON: "We all make mistakes. Walid Regragui can be wrong, but someone needs to correct his mistakes, provide him with useful advice or information. I think it is very important to strengthen the technical staff of the Moroccan national team with competent coaches with ideas and great experience." The sports analyst believes that it is "impossible to win the Africa Cup if we continue with this style and approach... We are not asking for the departure of the coach, but we are asking for reforms. There are points and problems to be corrected so that the Moroccan team shines at the AFCON as it did at the World Cup."