Wahbi's Post-World Cup Changes for Morocco
The World Cup is over. For Morocco, the real work starts now.
Quarter-finalists in 2026 and beaten 2–0 by France in North America, the Atlas Lions have kept faith with head coach Mohamed Wahbi. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has confirmed he will stay on, backing the man who led them through the tournament.
Wahbi, though, is not extending the same comfort to his squad.
A Coach Who Knows He Must Change
In the weeks since Morocco’s elimination, Wahbi has started to pull apart the group he trusted on the biggest stage. The message is clear: loyalty has limits; evolution cannot wait.
He has identified a lack of depth and variety, especially among his substitutes. In tight knockout games, Morocco’s bench did not give him enough different profiles, enough game-changers. That reality has driven him toward a bolder, more ruthless reset.
The pressure of what comes next – continental qualifiers, the next World Cup cycle, and the demand to turn promise into trophies – has pushed Wahbi to act now, not later.
Six World Cup Names on the Chopping Block
According to Moroccan outlet Sport7, the coach has already settled on a core of players who will not feature in his next squad, due to be announced for the September international break.
Six World Cup faces are expected to disappear from the list:
- Ayoub El Kaabi
- Sofyan Amrabat
- Amine Sbai
- Youssef Belammari
- Marwan Saadane
- Munir Mohamedi (goalkeeper)
For a group that helped carry Morocco to the last eight, it is a brutal cut. But it underlines the scale of Wahbi’s planned overhaul.
Sport7 also reports that other names could follow, with Halhal and Amimoni among those at risk as the coach presses ahead with his restructuring. No one on the fringes can feel secure.
Fresh Blood for a New Cycle
Wahbi’s response is not just subtraction. It is about injection.
He intends to call up several new faces for the international camp at the end of September, using that window as a live laboratory. Different profiles, new ideas, and tactical flexibility are at the heart of his plan.
He wants more variety in attack, more balance in midfield, and sharper competition in every position. The goal is simple: a squad that can adapt, surprise, and sustain a challenge across multiple fronts.
The World Cup run in the United States, Canada, and Mexico showed Morocco can stand with the elite. Wahbi’s rebuild will decide whether they stay there – or slip back into the pack.
