Official: Mohamed Ouahbi Succeeds Walid Regragui in Historic Moroccan Coaching Shift
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) officially announced on Thursday that Mohamed Ouahbi will succeed Walid Regragui as the head coach of the Moroccan national team. This transition comes just three months before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Walid Regragui departs his post as arguably the most successful coach in Moroccan history. Since his appointment in 2022, he masterminded the historic run to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, a feat that remains a landmark achievement for African football.
While he successfully led the Atlas Lions to the final of the most recent Africa Cup of Nations, the narrow and controversial 1-0 defeat to Senegal proved to be his closing chapter. During a farewell ceremony broadcast live on Thursday, Regragui explained his decision by citing the need for a fresh face and a different energy to lead the team into the upcoming tournament in North America. He expressed his deep gratitude to the nation, stating that he leaves with the certainty that he has served his country to the best of his ability while acknowledging that the squad now requires a new lease of life to continue its evolution.
The FRMF has chosen to prioritize continuity and internal expertise by promoting Mohamed Ouahbi to the senior role. The 49-year-old tactician is already a celebrated figure in Moroccan football, having famously coached the U20 team to a World Cup title in October 2025 after a stunning victory over Argentina in the final. A veteran of the prestigious Anderlecht academy in Belgium, Ouahbi is renowned for his tactical rigor, high discipline, and an intimate understanding of Morocco’s emerging talent pool. To support this transition, he will be flanked by a high-caliber technical team that includes João Sacramento, formerly an assistant at PSG and Tottenham, and Moroccan legendary figure Youssouf Hadji.
Ouahbi inherits a team currently ranked eighth in the world and has less than 100 days to prepare for a World Cup group that features Brazil, Haiti, and Scotland. The immediate calendar is dense, with high-profile friendlies scheduled against Ecuador in Spain on March 27 and Paraguay in France on March 31, all serving as a prelude to the World Cup opener against Brazil on June 13.
