As World Cup Nears, Are Atlas Lions Ready?

People will monitor in what shape these teams’ biggest stars and main players show up, who is likely to miss the big event due to injury, lack of performance or sheer tactical choices from this or that manager.

While all eyes will be set on the likes of Spain, Argentina, France and Germany as traditional favorites, it’s no exaggeration to say that some other teams will generate considerable attention due to their rising stature as football powerhouses. Morocco is one of them.

Not an outsider anymore

The Atlas Lions’ historic fourth-placed performance at the 2022 World Cup and subsequent Olympic bronze medal, the 2025 U-20 World Cup title win and the more recent 2025 AFCON run, have all made Morocco a football force to be reckoned with.

So, unlike the previous World Cup editions where the Atlas Lions were seen as outsiders, which helped the Moroccan side shock the planet by making history both in 1986 and 2022, becoming the first African team to qualify to the semi-finals, this time things will be different.

Having claimed 8th place in the latest FIFA rankings, the Atlas Lions will be expected to perform well in the tournament and confirm their status among the top 10 national teams in the world.

Unlike the last World Cup when only Moroccan fans had faith in their team, while the majority of Arab and Western football pundits were predicting an early exit from a group stage composed of Croatia, Belgium and Canada, some football commentators now go as far as stating the Atlas Lions can be a contender to win the title.

Even some Moroccans might find the flattery a bit  exaggerated, but this only confirms that the Moroccan team is no longer seen as a football lightweight.

Extreme make-over

Morocco will be entering the upcoming World Cup as a team that has undergone major shifts, with the process of change still underway. 

Of the 26 players who participated in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, only 6 were among the Atlas Lions list for the last two friendlies back in March, namely: Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou, Noussair Mazraoui, Bilal El Khanouss, Azzedine Ounahi and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli.

The separation with Coach Walid Reguragui in the aftermath of the AFCON final meant turning the chapter of the last four years with its glorious and painful memories, from the 2022 World Cup qualification to the semi-finals, the disappointing round of 16 early exit in the 2023 AFCON, and the drama that surrounded the 2025 AFCON final.

The change of the head coach also meant a change of tactical, managing and communication style. While Reguragui seemed a rigid manager with less inclination to change his convictions and reconsider his faith in certain players, in addition to a tendency to adopt a confrontational tone with a highly critical media, his successor Mohamed Ouahbi gives the opposite impression.

A soft-spoken coach who seems more tactically flexible and less prone to continue to bet on certain players even when they’re not in shape, Ouahbi might just be what the Atlas Lions needed as they turned Reguragui’s chapter.  

However, there are several factors that don’t play in his favor.

Challenges to surmount

The first challenge that Ouahbi had to deal with was time. He took over the Moroccan national team in a short period of time ahead of the World Cup. He inherited a team that was clearly broken after the 2025 AFCON loss on the pitch to Senegal before CAF’s Appeal Board overturned the result after Senegal was deemed to have forfeited the match when they left the pitch for 15 minutes in protest of a penalty awarded to Morocco.

The way Brahim Diaz missed the penalty with a failed Panenka attempt is said to have driven a wedge between the Real Madrid star and some of his teammates. Fixing what was broken was one of Ouahbi’s big challenges, and it was not sure that the short time he had during the last international break in March was enough.

The second challenge facing Ouahbi is solving the mystery that is puzzling many Moroccan football fans, which is why certain players, such as Abde Ezzalzouli, Ismail Saibari and Ayoub El Kaabi, perform well with their clubs while they struggle with the national team, something that his predecessor seemed unable to address.

Another headache from the Regragui era is the challenge to stabilize the defense. Since the aftermath of the 2022 World Cup, finding a coherent and permanent pair of central defenders is still a work in progress. Many players came and went, such as Jaouad El Yamiq, Adam Masina, Abdelkabir Abqar, Jamal Harkass…etc, yet, the Atlas Lions are still in search of center backs. 

While the last two friendlies against Ecuador and Paraguay gave an indication that Fulham’s Issa Diop has Ouahbi’s trust, the question regarding who is going to be the other central back is still being raised.

Finally, Mohamed Ouahbi will have to come up with the best possible final list of the players who will take part in the upcoming World Cup. This is particularly the case as several players who weren’t selected to be part of the March camp have had consistent good performances, while others who were called up for the last two friendlies did unfortunately disappoint.

Among the players that many fans and commentators say deserve Ouahbi’s attention, one can name AS FAR goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti, Botola top scorer and MAS striker Soufiane Benjdida, and Portugal’s Estoril Praia striker Yanis Begraoui.

With all these factors in mind, it’s hard to expect that the Atlas Lions will perform in the same way as they did in Qatar. This will probably relieve some of the pressure that’s exerted on them.

The Moroccan national team is clearly in a rebuilding phase, and henceforth it can’t be seen as a favorite, but rather as an interesting outsider. This is not a bad thing after all. History has proven that, in Morocco’s case, being an outsider is what the Atlas Lions need

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