Morocco at the 2026 World Cup: Roster, Predictions, and Statistics

Four years ago in Qatar, the Atlas Lions created the biggest sensation in the history of African football – they reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, knocking out Spain and Portugal along the way. Now, they are not expected to perform a miracle, but to confirm their level. However, in March the team was left by Walid Regragui. He promised that he would leave if he did not win the Africa Cup of Nations at home. The Moroccans eventually took the gold medals, but not on the field, but in the offices of officials, and the coach kept his word. Changing the coach shortly before the World Cup is already a tradition for Morocco, as before the last World Cup, Regragui himself replaced Vahid Halilhodzic.

Now, Hakimi, Dias and other stars will be led by Mohamed Ouahbi – a man who has never worked as a head coach at a senior level. And still, bookmakers consider the Moroccans the main disruptors of peace in the group with the most titled team on the planet. Let's see how the team has changed over four years and assess its chances on the fields of the USA, Canada and Mexico.

In brief:

• The Moroccans have made it to the World Cup for the third time in a row and the seventh time in history.
• Morocco is the first and only African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup (2022).
• The team has a streak of 28 matches without a defeat.
• Hakimi, Bounou, Dias, El-Kaabi have been included in the squad. En-Nesyri, Saiss and Ziyech are left out.
• In the group stage, Morocco will play against Brazil, Scotland and Haiti.
• Bookmakers estimate Morocco's chances of winning the World Cup at 2%, and of getting out of the group at 87%.

Morocco's squad for the 2026 World Cup

Goalkeepers: Bono (Al Hilal), Munir (Renaissance de Berkane), Ahmed Tagnaouti (Hassania).

Defenders: Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Noussair Mazraoui (Manchester United), Anass Salah-Eddine (PSV), Youssef Anouar (Al Ahli), El-Ouas Zakaria (Genk), Chadi Riad (Crystal Palace), Nayef Aguerd (Marseille), Redouane Halhal (Mechelen), Issa Diop (Fulham).

Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat (Betis), Samir El Mourabet (Strasbourg), Ayoub Bouadi (Lille), Neil El Aynaoui (Roma), Azzedine Ounahi (Girona), Bilal El Khannouss (Stuttgart), Ismael Saibari (PSV).

Forwards: Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid), Abde Ezzalzouli (Betis), Chemsdine Talbi (Sunderland), Soufiane Rahimi (Al Ain), Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos), Gessime Yassine (Strasbourg), Ayyoub Bouaddi (Eintracht).

Head coach: Mohamed Ouahbi.

Main star

There can be no two opinions here. Achraf Hakimi is irreplaceable. The right-back of PSG is the main player of the Moroccans and one of the best full-backs in the world. At the 2022 World Cup, he became a symbol of the team's character: he started all matches in the starting lineup, and in the 1/8 final against Spain, he was the last to approach the ball in the post-match series and coolly hit it in the style of Panenka. At 27, Hakimi is the captain, engine and heart of the Atlas Lions, who will soon play his 100th match for the national team. All of Morocco's successes in the new era are associated with him. And thanks to his second consecutive victory with PSG in the Champions League, Achraf has also become the most titled in history.as an African player (19 titles).

Main problem of Morocco

Morocco's national team has a solid defensive structure and a strong lineup, but the team is overshadowed by uncertainty on the coaching bridge. Mohamed Ouahbi was appointed head coach in March 2026 – less than three months before the start of the World Cup. This is his first experience working with an adult team. Previously, the 49-year-old specialist had spent almost two decades at the Anderlecht academy, and on the international stage he made his mark only at the youth level: a victory with the Moroccans at the U20 World Cup and a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.

The problem is not even the lack of experience per se, but the fact that Ouahbi did not have time to rebuild the team after Walid Regragui, who led the Atlas Lions to a historic semi-final in Qatar. Tactical connections, players' trust, reaction to the change of the match's course - all this is fine-tuned over the years, not three friendly matches. Ouahbi himself admits: "I'm not here to rebuild the team from scratch, the foundation is already laid. I'm here to maintain the result". But will he be able to adjust during the tournament when opponents will be adapting to his schemes? In the playoffs, where the cost of a mistake is maximum, the lack of a background at the adult level can backfire at the most inappropriate moment.

Young talents

Chemsdine Talbi – a 21-year-old right winger from English Sunderland, who has become one of the revelations of European football. Talbi was born in Belgium, but chose to play for the Moroccan national team, for which he has already played five matches. He is explosive, technical, and excellent at dribbling. In his debut season in the EPL, Shemsdin quickly adapted to the speeds and physicality of English football. Ouahbi considers him a joker, capable of changing the course of the game, coming off the bench.

Bilal El Khannous – a 22-year-old midfielder from Stuttgart. In his first season in the Bundesliga, he played 41 matches in all competitions, scored 9 goals and provided 8 assists. El-Hannus is technical, sharpens the game excellently on dribbling and does not get lost under pressure. Considering Mohamed Ouahbi's background, it is likely that he will make Bilal the main player in the midfield, with whom he crossed paths in the Anderlecht youth team. And this decision will be quite logical. The young midfielder already has 36 matches in the national team's jersey. He was in the squad for the 2022 World Cup and even appeared on the field in the bronze medal match against Croatia (1:2).

Who will miss the 2026 World Cup

Morocco's losses are significant, at least the names that did not make it into the final squad are loud. By the decision of the head coach, there was no place for Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri – these are the people who share the second line in the history of the national team's top scorers (25 goals). Also, notable figures without an invitation remained Elies Ben-Seghir, who got lost in Bayer, 32-year-old Sofiane Boufal and ex-captain Romain Saiss.

Morocco national team form

Qualification

The Moroccans passed the African qualification brilliantly: they won all eight matches in the group with Niger, Tanzania,Zambia and Congo, scoring 22 goals and conceding only twice. It's worth considering the level of the opponents, as the highest FIFA ranking among them was held by Zambia (92nd). Nonetheless, the 100% result is still impressive. But even more impressive is the 19-match winning streak that the Atlas Lions achieved during the qualification. This is a world record in national team football.

Recent Results

After the controversial African Cup final, the Moroccans played four friendly matches, showing good results. They only failed to beat Ecuador (1:1), but the unbeaten streak was preserved. After a victory over Madagascar (4:0) in early June, it reached 28 matches.

Preparation for the World Cup

Morocco's preparation for the World Cup is almost complete. The final sparring will be a match against a strong European team - Norway. The match will take place on June 7 at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison.

Morocco's match schedule for the 2026 World Cup

Morocco's chances of advancing from the group

Bookmakers give Brazil the first place in the group with a probability of about 80%, while Morocco and Scotland share the remaining chances for the second guaranteed ticket to the playoffs. Haiti, returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, is considered a clear outsider. The likelihood that the Moroccans will advance to the playoffs is estimated at 87%.

Bookmaker odds for Morocco in the 2026 World Cup

Why Morocco might not advance from the group

The opening match against Brazil is almost certainly a loss of points. If the Moroccans lose, and Scotland beats Haiti, then before the head-to-head meeting, the Atlas Lions will be in the role of the chasers. The match with Scotland will be a battle for second place, and any mistake in it can be fatal. The Scots are physically strong opponents, who have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and will play with doubled energy.

If the Tartan Army opens the score and sits in deep defense, Mohamed Ouahbi may simply lack experience. A lot will depend on the match management of the coach, who has never played at a professional level. Haiti in the last round will want to say goodbye to the tournament with dignity, and for Morocco this match can turn into psychological torture if the fate of the ticket is decided in the last minutes. In Qatar, the team was a dark horse, but now they are expected to deliver results, and it is not certain that the team will withstand such pressure.

Prediction for the Moroccan team

The key match of the group is not the opening one with Brazil, but the second round against Scotland. It is this match that will determine who will take second place. A defeat from Brazil is factored into the scenario – what matters is the score. If the Moroccans lose by a one-goal margin, they will maintain confidence. A victory over Scotland (even a minimal one) virtually guarantees a playoff spot, as the Atlas Lions are obliged to beat Haiti in the last round.

Second place in the group puts Morocco in the round of 16 against the winner of Group F – one of the most unpredictable in the tournament: the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia are playing there. Surprises are not excluded, but even if the nominal favorite, i.e., the Dutch, take first place, it will not be a tragedy for the Atlas Lions. The Moroccans have a real chance to beat the Oranje and advance to the quarter-finals. They will not meet an insurmountable opponent at this stage. They will face the winner of the duel of second places from groups A and B, where there is not a single big team. Therefore, we propose a bold bet – Morocco's advancement to the quarter-finals for 4.50*.

In the last World Cup, up to the semi-final with France (0:2), the Moroccans had only one conceded goal in their record.the ball, and in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, the Atlas Lions conceded two in eight matches. The team has a well-established defense and a strong goalkeeper, which suggests another interesting option – the individual total of goals conceded by Morocco in the group stage is less than 3.5 with odds of 1.68*.

Predictions for all 2026 World Cup matches will be available in the tournament section starting from June 9.

*Odds are provided for reference, may vary in different betting offices and are current at the time of publication