{"id":4101,"date":"2026-03-06T00:20:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T00:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/?p=4101"},"modified":"2026-03-06T12:22:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T12:22:24","slug":"three-months-before-the-2026-world-cup-why-has-fouzi-lekjaa-handed-moroccos-national-team-to-mohamed-ouahbi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/three-months-before-the-2026-world-cup-why-has-fouzi-lekjaa-handed-moroccos-national-team-to-mohamed-ouahbi\/","title":{"rendered":"Three months before the 2026 World Cup: Why has Fouzi Lekjaa handed Morocco\u2019s national team to Mohamed Ouahbi?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a move whose timing appears as significant as its content, the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa<\/span><\/span>, announced on Thursday evening in Sal\u00e9<\/span><\/span> the appointment of Moroccan coach Mohamed Ouahbi<\/span><\/span> as the new head coach of the Moroccan national team, replacing former manager Walid Regragui<\/span><\/span>.
The announcement was made during a press conference held at the Mohammed VI Football Complex<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Officially, the decision has been framed as part of a strategy aimed at \u201crenewing the team\u2019s momentum\u201d ahead of major upcoming competitions, particularly the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/span><\/span>. Yet a deeper reading suggests that the decision goes beyond a purely technical change and touches on the broader management of Morocco\u2019s rapidly rising football project.<\/p>\n

When announcing his departure, Walid Regragui<\/span><\/span> emphasized that the move was the result of a comprehensive evaluation and part of a broader effort to ensure the continued evolution of the national team. He also expressed pride in the achievements accomplished during his tenure, thanking Mohammed VI<\/span><\/span>, the federation, the players, and Moroccan supporters, whom he described as the team\u2019s \u201ctwelfth player\u201d.<\/p>\n

Behind the conciliatory tone, however, lies a more complex reality. Morocco\u2019s recent football success has dramatically raised expectations surrounding the national team. As a result, every decision related to the Atlas Lions is now viewed not only through a sporting lens but also through strategic and symbolic perspectives.<\/p>\n

For Fouzi Lekjaa<\/span><\/span>, one of the most influential figures in African football governance, managing the national team has become part of a broader national sports strategy. In this sense, the coaching change can be interpreted as an attempt to recalibrate the project before entering the crucial stage of World Cup preparation.<\/p>\n

The choice of Mohamed Ouahbi<\/span><\/span> is far from accidental. The coach has emerged in recent years as one of the most promising figures in Moroccan football management, particularly after leading the under-20 national team to a historic world title. That achievement strengthened his reputation as a coach capable of developing talent, structuring tactical systems, and managing long-term projects.<\/p>\n

However, moving from youth teams to the senior national team represents a completely different challenge. Media pressure, public expectations, and the management of a dressing room composed of players competing in Europe\u2019s top leagues will all test the new coach\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

The challenge is even greater considering Morocco\u2019s group in the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/span><\/span>, which includes the national teams of Brazil<\/span><\/span>, Scotland<\/span><\/span>, and Haiti<\/span><\/span> \u2014 a group that could prove highly competitive.<\/p>\n

Before that global stage, Morocco will face the national teams of Ecuador<\/span><\/span> and Paraguay<\/span><\/span> in friendly matches during March, which will serve as the first practical test for the new technical staff.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the decision opens a new chapter in Morocco\u2019s football journey. Yet it also raises a deeper question: is this merely a coaching change, or the beginning of a new phase in Morocco\u2019s ambition to transform a historic football breakthrough into a lasting global football power?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a move whose timing appears as significant as its content, the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, announced on Thursday evening in Sal\u00e9 the appointment of Moroccan coach Mohamed Ouahbi as the new head coach of the Moroccan national team, replacing former manager Walid Regragui.The announcement was made during a press […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,43,42,41,76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4101","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-africa","8":"category-asia-americas","9":"category-europe-russia","10":"category-middle-east","11":"category-the-maghreb"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4101"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4103,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4101\/revisions\/4103"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}