Mohamed Ouahbi, the architect of silence in search of a new epic

Last March, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, under the leadership of Fouzi Lekjaa, attempted a new masterful poker move, a “calculated risk”: inducting the man in the shadows, the one who had just crowned the Cubs U20 on the roof of the world in Chile in October 2025. Mohamed Ouahbi, faithful to his reputation as a cerebral and phlegmatic technician, donned the mantle of national coach with quiet certainty.

The Belgian laboratory at the service of La Tanière

Mohamed Ouahbi’s adventure began in Schaerbeek, Belgium, at the prestigious RSC Anderlecht training center. In this

laboratory of excellence, the Belgian-Moroccan has forged his tactical identity and his teaching skills. For years, he polished rough diamonds, structured the relationship with the discipline and learned to manage the emerging egos of the European diaspora and local talents. This Belgian-Brussels background left him with an obsession: absolute mastery of the phases of the game.

After their historic epic of 2022, the Atlas Lions get to the heart of the matter this Saturday, facing the five-time Brazilian world champions led by Carlo Ancelotti. This shock at the top of Group C, already decisive for the rest of the competition, promises to be under high tension. The national coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, must deal with a reshuffled squad, deprived of several key players, like Abde Ezzalzouli and Nayef Aguerd. Opposite, a Seleção still formidable, but which could be deprived of its playing master, Neymar, announced uncertain. Morocco intends to confirm that its status as world semi-finalist is in no way the result of a passing exploit. Despite this delicate context, the Lions’ ambitions remain intact for this entry into contention.

Ouahbi is not a fan of emotional football or lyrical flights of fancy, but rather a pragmatist. Compact blocks, lightning transitions and surgical score management constitute its identity triptych. A background which allowed him, upon his arrival at the head of the youth selections in Morocco, to glean the UNAF tournament in 2024 before reaching the ultimate consecration, the historic world coronation with the U20s against Argentina (2-0). Its great strength is also to have a broad knowledge of the new wave, which saves it a long and laborious process of rebuilding team cohesion.

A clever blend of experience and freshness

By summoning triumphant youth like the prodigy Ayyoub Bouaddi or Chemsdine Talbi, while maintaining the intangible executives that are Brahim Diaz, Achraf Hakimi and Soufiane Rahimi, Ouahbi has achieved a subtle alchemy. The last trial run

against Erling Haaland’s Norway (1-1), played on Sunday, validated his precepts. Faced with the Scandinavian steamroller, the Atlas Lions demonstrated a resilience and defensive solidity that recall the finest hours of 2022, with Ouahbi’s tactical touch on top of that. The entry into Group C will be against Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil, who has already publicly pointed out the “defensive solidity” of Morocco as the main pitfall of the Seleção.

For Mohamed Ouahbi, it will therefore be a question of building on the heritage without being a prisoner of it. After the miracle of Doha, the Moroccan public will no longer be satisfied with simple representation. The calm architect knows that the mental load will be immense, much heavier than the physical challenge. The world watches, the Lions roar, and history awaits its next chapter.