Morocco’s head coach, Walid Regragui, affirmed that the national team respects all its opponents and will face Zambia on Monday in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with “the objective of winning.”
“We play every match to win. We came to Zambia to deliver a good performance,” Regragui said on Sunday at a press conference, held on the eve of Monday’s fixture in Ndola (2:00 p.m.), which will see Morocco take on Zambia in Matchday 8 of Group E of the African qualifiers.
The coach noted that although this encounter holds no stakes for the Atlas Lions, who have already booked their ticket to the next World Cup, it will nonetheless serve as an opportunity to give other players the chance to showcase their talent.
“We won’t be fielding the same lineup that played against Niger on Friday, but we will keep in mind the objective of winning,” he said, adding that “the goal is to put on a good display, even if there is some fatigue, but we’ll have to manage that.”
“This is also a good strategy for us not to reveal all our cards, since Zambia will be in the same group as Morocco at the upcoming AFCON,” he stressed, noting that “this is a great opportunity for the players taking part in this game to show their qualities.”
“We know Zambia well. They need to win and reaffirm their status in Africa. The changes we make on our side will certainly matter (…). But this is a good thing, because we don’t want them to have reference points against us,”he further explained.
“For us, the essential thing is that we are already qualified for the 2026 World Cup and that we remain in this positive dynamic,” the national coach underlined, pointing out that “we are now focused on the next AFCON 2025. And the match against Zambia will be a good test.”
According to Regragui, the final list of players for the upcoming AFCON is of critical importance, as all players are hoping to be included. “I am fully aware of this responsibility. I cannot afford to make mistakes in my choices,” he emphasized.
On Friday evening, Morocco secured its spot at the World Cup in North America, set to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with two matchdays to spare, following a resounding 5-0 victory over Niger. The Atlas Lions consolidated their position at the top of the group with 18 points from six wins in six matches, followed by Tanzania (10 pts), Zambia and Niger (6 pts each), and Congo (1 pt).
The 2026 World Cup will thus mark Morocco’s seventh appearance at the final stage of the competition and its third consecutive qualification (1970, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2018, 2022).
