Club World Cup Preview: Wydad AC

In partnership with

Hooligan Soccer

·13 June 2025

Club World Cup Preview: Wydad AC

The twenty-eighth in our continuing series highlighting all thirty-two clubs in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, and the last of Group G. The event starts on Saturday, June 14th.

Club Background

From: Casablanca, Morocco
How They Qualified: They were the CAF Champions League 2022 winners.
Best CWC Finish: This is their third trip. They have finished sixth (2017) and fifth (2022).

Recent Form: Finished the Moroccan Botola Pro League in third place on a five game unbeaten run. They did not qualify for this year’s CAF Champions League.
Facts: The team is 71% Moroccan. They are the most successful Moroccan team domestically with the greatest number of title wins. Their supporters group Ultra Winners 2005 are renowned for their passion and geographic dispersity. Played the second fewest competitive games since August 2024 (40 – tied the CF Pachuca).

The Team

Manager: Mohamed Amine Benhachem Replaced South African coach Rhulani Mokwena in May 2025. He’s a local guy (born in Casablanca) whose previous gig was with Renaissance Zemamra.
Star Players: Hamza Hannouri Moroccan forward. 8g/2a. Mohamed Rayhi Dutch (of Moroccan descent) winger. Leads the team with 11g. Cassius Mailula South African striker. 5g/7a.
Young Players: They have a trio of young Brazilians who joined the squad in the past few months that could make an impact: Renan (22, forward), Arthur Wenderroscky (21) and Pedrinho (20) – both midfielders
Training Sites: Landon School, Bethesda, Maryland

When to Watch

12:00pm ET on Jun 18, 2025 vs. Manchester City @ Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
12:00pm ET on Jun 22, 2025 vs. Juventus @ Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
3:00pm ET on Jun 26, 2025 vs. Al Ain @ Audi Field, Washington DC

The Hooligan Take

Wydad AC is a true dark horse of the tournament. Very few will have heard of them, outside of their surprisingly large and well-organized supporters group, the Ultra Winners 2005. They are four-time winners of the coveted Best Ultra Squad in the World award. This should bode for a raucous atmosphere at any of their three group games. And it will probably be three, as this die is unlikely to topple giants Manchester City or Juventus.