With four points collected in two matches against the Brazil and to ScotlandTHE Morocco confirms its status as a serious contender in this 2026 World Cup. Following the victory obtained against the Scots (1-0), Mohamed Ouahbi took stock of the Atlas Lions’ journey and expressed its confidence for the rest of the adventure.
First observation drawn up by the Moroccan technician: the collective mastery displayed by his players. The coach even believes that his team was more convincing in its offensive intentions than during the draw against Brazil. “We controlled the match very well. Scotland started to play more direct with a lot of long balls and crosses, but we were able to respond,” he explained.
“We are not yet qualified”
With four points after two days, the Morocco finds himself in an excellent position before facing Haiti during the last group match. However, Ouahbi refuses to take the qualification for granted. “We are not yet qualified. The objective is to win against Haiti to ensure our qualification and, if possible, finish in first place in the group,” he recalled.
Asked about the starting eleven for the match against Haiti, the coach also dismissed the idea of carrying out a systematic rotation of his squad. “I will put the best team possible. The choice will depend on the state of freshness of the players, the profile of the opponent and the context of the match,” he said.
Support shown for Achraf Hakimi
One of the notable moments of this conference came when a journalist questioned Ouahbi about the legal situation of Achraf Hakimi, referred to the Hauts-de-Seine criminal court in the case opened in 2023. The coach immediately showed his support for his captain. “You saw the match. Achraf Hakimi looked great, he was focused and he motivated everyone in the locker room. We are behind him and he had a great match,” he said.
At the end of this second successful outing, Mohamed Ouahbi especially remembered the mental strength of his group. With four points on the clock and a positive dynamic, the Atlas Lions now approach their meeting against Haiti with the ambition of validating their ticket for the round of 16 at the head of their group and continuing their rise in this 2026 World Cup.
