Walid Regragui quits as Morocco coach, Brazil’s first Copa rival | OneFootball

Morocco, the first opponent of the Brazilian National Team in Group C of the 2026 World Cup, is no longer coached by Walid Regragui.

Journalist Santi Aouna was the first to confirm the departure of the 50-year-old coach who made history by leading the Atlas Lions to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup, eliminating Spain and Portugal along the way.

He had already indicated that he would resign if Morocco failed to win the last Africa Cup of Nations.

Mohamed Ouahbi has been confirmed as his replacement.

Regragui took over as Morocco’s coach on August 31, 2022, replacing Bosnian Vahid Halilhodžić.

There were less than six months left before the World Cup in Qatar.

Morocco surprised everyone by topping Group F with seven points. Croatia finished second and Belgium was eliminated.

Next came victories over Spain (on penalties) and Portugal, both without conceding a goal.

📸 Justin Setterfield - 2022 Getty Images

The North African team was then defeated by France in the semifinals before losing the third-place match to Croatia.

Morocco qualified for this year’s World Cup with a perfect record, winning all eight matches in Group E of the Qualifiers.

Regragui’s final act was finishing as runner-up to Senegal in the aforementioned Africa Cup of Nations, which was held in Morocco.

He led the Atlas Lions in 44 matches, with 32 wins, eight draws, and only four losses. That’s a success rate of 78.79%.

He had previously served as assistant coach between 2012 and 2014 before taking charge of Fath Union Sport.

Brazil’s World Cup Schedule 📅

The National Team will face Morocco on June 11 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Eight days later, the opponent will be Haiti at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Brazil will close out the group stage against Scotland on the 24th.

This match will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Florida.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 SEBASTIEN BOZON - AFP or licensors