Shock in Morocco: Ouahbi decides to axe six stars in one go

The post-2026 World Cup period will be anything but quiet for the Morocco national team. Head coach Mohamed Wahbi has begun reassessing the players he relied upon during the tournament, preparing to make sweeping changes to the squad ahead of the upcoming challenges.

Signs point to the Moroccan coach becoming convinced he must renew the make-up of the Atlas Lions. He has sensed the need for more varied and effective options, particularly on the substitutes' bench, and that has prompted him to consider injecting fresh blood into the squad.

Wahbi to stay on

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation had earlier decided to keep Mohamed Wahbi in his position as head coach of the national team, despite the Atlas Lions' exit from the 2026 World Cup.

Held across the United States, Canada and Mexico, the tournament saw Morocco's run end at the quarter-final stage after a two-nil defeat to France.

A six-man blow

According to the Moroccan website "Sport7", Mohamed Wahbi has settled on excluding six players who featured at the World Cup from the squad expected to be announced during the upcoming international break in September.

Those tipped to miss out are Ayoub El Kaabi, Sofyan Amrabat, Amine Sbai, Youssef Belammari, Marwan Saadane and goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi.

The same source added that other names could also drop out, among them Halhal and Amimoni, as part of the restructuring the coach intends to carry out.

Wahbi is set to call up a number of new players during the international camp scheduled for the end of September. He wants to try out different players and search for new tactical solutions that would give the national team more variety and quality, in preparation for the upcoming challenges.

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