Football - Morocco: What future for Regragui after the lost AFCON 2025?
Linked to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) until the 2026 World Cup, Walid Regragui has been in the news for a week. After the lost final, should the Moroccan technician continue at the head of the Atlas Lions? All the signals are for the greens so that it can continue even until the next World Cup.
Philemon MBALE · Author profile ·
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In a post-match press conference at the AFCON final, a Moroccan journalist asked a straightforward question: "When will you submit your resignation?". Regragui’s response: "That’s not a question." A response that seems to clearly say that he has no intention of throwing in the towel a few months before the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada (June 11 to July 19, 2026). The results argue for a continuity of the coach even if some observers raise their voice for his dismissal.
A clear progression of Morocco under Walid Regragui
Walid Regragui has been the coach of Morocco since 31 August 2022. Having attracted more more fans after winning the Champions League with Wydad Casablanca, he was named after the dismissal of Vahid Halilhodzic. Despite a short time before the 2022 World Cup, the 50-year-old technician was able to create a strong team that beat all predictions in Qatar. Even better, the Moroccan selection has made history, becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup. During this competition, Morocco defeated Belgium, eliminated Spain and Portugal and posed problems to France and Croatia.
Despite the setback at the AFCON 2023 with a elimination in the eighth finals, Walid Regragui was able to remobilize his group. The team resumed its march forward. It strengthened with several arrivals including Brahim Diaz. The Atlas Lions have won 19 straight, dethroning Spain to set a world record. They played 39 matches without the slightest defeat at home before being beaten in Rabat by Senegal (1-0) in the final of the 2025 finals.
This progress of Morocco was also observed at the level of the FIFA ranking. 22nd worldwide and 2nd in Africa in August 2022, Morocco is currently 8th globally and undisputed leader on the African continent.
A mastered competition, but a losing final on the wire
Walid Regragui’s work continued at the AFCON 2025. Before the competition, the Atlas Lions showed their strength by easily qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
As the host country of the competition, Morocco had only one goal; to win the competition that has been fleeing the country for 50 years. On the field, the Atlas Lions dominated virtually all their opponents. They enjoyed a quiet first round by finishing top of group A with 7 points, two wins against Comoros (2-0) and Zambia (3-0) and a draw (1-1) against Mali.
During the knockout phase, Morocco struggled (1-0) against Tanzania in the round of 16. Achraf Hakimi and his partners achieved one of the best first periods of this edition by asphyxiating Cameroon in the quarter-finals. They won (2-0) thanks to goals by Brahim Diaz and Ismaël Saibari. In the semi-finals, Morocco outshot Nigeria (4-2). Unbeaten in the tournament, the Moroccan team held off Senegal before finally losing the final (1-0) after extra time.
Tactically, Regragui was up to the task. He was able to make adjustments and changes that paid off over several meetings. Over the matches, the Moroccan technician was able to find his team type and the best possible combinations. In general, the former right-back has a more than favorable record: 21 wins, 8 draws and 4 defeats in 33 games since his nomination in August 2022. Enough to give him the right to continue his journey with the Atlas Lions.