After missing out on four straight World Cups from 2002 to 2014, the Atlas Lions have now qualified for two straight tournaments. For a two-year stretch from 2019 to 2021 that included a significant chunk of World Cup qualifying, Morocco didn’t lose a game. Then, after dropping out in the African Cup of Nations earlier this year, Morocco clinched its place in Qatar with a playoff win over the Democratic Republic of Congo.
But any appearance of stability soon took a hit after manager Vahid Halilhodžić, who had led the team through that unbeaten run and World Cup qualification, was dismissed due to what the Moroccan federation called disagreements about World Cup preparation (it bizarrely also marked the third time Halilhodžić failed to coach a team at the World Cup after clinching qualification)
After Halilhodžić’s firing, which came just three months before the World Cup, the Atlas Lions appointed former Morocco defender Walid Regragui to lead the team in Qatar. Regragui, 47, led Wydad Casablanca to a Moroccan league and African Champions League double last season, but will have his work cut out for him in a tough group on short notice.
