After a long period of speculation that former Wydad AC manager Walid Regragui would take the reins as Morocco head coach and lead the Atlas Lions into the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the news was confirmed on Monday. The 2021-22 Botola Pro and 2021-22 CAF Champions League winner was chosen after Franco-Bosnian tactician Vahid Halilhodžić was pushed out due to his failure to get along with some of Morocco’s most talented dual national players, particularly Chelsea FC playmaker Hakim Ziyech who had been absent from the Atlas Lions setup for a long period.
Regragui will presumably have a full complement of Morocco’s European-based talent to call upon including Ziyech, Bayern Munich’s Noussair Mazraoui and midfielder Amine Harit who returned for Morocco’s three games in June including 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against South Africa and Liberia.
