2026 World Cup: the Azzedine Ounahi mystery

A performance that should no longer surprise

This resurgence is no accident. Since the Qatari World Cup, Ounahi has maintained a unique connection with major international competitions. Back in 2022, even without scoring a single goal, he impressed with his mobility and technical cleanliness in regaining possession, to the point of earning the admiration of Luis Enrique himself after La Roja’s elimination on penalties.

The Spanish coach had then publicly wondered about the identity of this number 8 capable of running tirelessly for 90 minutes. Three years and seven months later, the assessment is the same—if not even more flattering. The numbers speak for themselves. Out of 54 matches, Morocco has lost only 4 times with Ounahi on the pitch, along with 37 victories and 12 draws. Since 2023, the margin for error has been even slimmer—just one loss in 31 matches started (against South Africa, in the CAN round of 16, January 30, 2024), along with 23 victories and 7 draws.

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A playing identity that has changed

The Casablancan’s role is no longer quite what it was in 2022. Under Walid Regragui, he played more as a technical holding midfielder, tasked with securing the build-up in a compact midfield block, supported by the defensive cover of Sofyan Amrabat. Since Mohamed Ouahbi arrived on the bench last March, Ounahi has been pushed higher up the pitch.

He is no longer just the one who plays the ball out cleanly; he has become the essential link toward the opposition penalty area. The transition, however, was not immediate. Before the match against Scotland, the player himself admitted he needed an adjustment period, explaining at a press conference that the World Cup came at the end of the season and required time to reach peak condition, both individually and collectively.

The other face—the club version

This is where the paradox makes perfect sense. This consistency regained at every major tournament is in stark contrast to a club career marked by disappointments. Trained at Angers, where his raw talent had already made a strong impression without ever fully stabilizing, Ounahi joined Olympique de Marseille right after the 2022 World Cup, driven by the excitement his performances in Qatar had generated. The Marseille adventure never lived up to its promise. A one-year loan to Panathinaïkós failed to get his career back on track.

As for his time at Girona, individually more interesting, it ended with relegation to Liga 2 at the end of the 2025–2026 season. Coach Walid Regragui, back when he was still leading the Lions of Atlas, summed up the situation by nicknaming Ounahi the team’s metronome—a player who literally shifts dimension as soon as he puts on the national jersey. An analysis echoed by Didier Digard, who describes a player performing with a special freedom, fueled by the trust an entire country places in him.

Is context the only real explanation?

Reducing Ounahi to simply a tournament footballer would undoubtedly be unfair. His case better illustrates how some players need a stable and reassuring environment to fully express their potential—something the Moroccan national team has provided for the past four years, and which his various clubs have never managed to recreate. With Girona’s relegation, several Spanish clubs are already said to be interested in him, and this latest global achievement is unlikely to calm the transfer market.

One question remains. This quarter-final against France, scheduled for Thursday night, gives Ounahi the chance to take revenge for that semi-final lost in Qatar just over three years ago. The 2022 World Cup introduced him to the entire world. The 2026 edition could well be the one that relaunches him for good—providing, this time, he manages to bring that magic beyond the Moroccan jersey.