Mohamed Ouahbi

Mohamed Ouahbi is widely reported to be the first manager in the history of the FIFA World Cup to make his senior managerial debut at the tournament itself. Appointed to lead Morocco's national team in March 2026 following Walid Regragui's exit after AFCON final defeat to Senegal, Ouahbi had no previous first-team senior management experience when Brazil faced Morocco at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 13 June. The circumstances of that debut — against the five-time champions, without injured winger Abde Ezzalzouli — gave the fixture an unusual framing well beyond a routine opening match.

Ouahbi's route to the job ran through Morocco's youth programme. He won the 2025 Under-20 World Cup with Morocco's junior national team, the country that had already sent a senior side to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals under Regragui, the best performance by an African nation in tournament history. Success at youth level — particularly a global title — represents genuine elite coaching credentials, though the step to managing senior internationals with immediate World Cup obligations is categorically different in pressure and preparation cycle.

Ouahbi's appointment reflects a Morocco Football Federation willing to make a high-risk promotion from within its own development system at the most exposed possible moment. Whether that gamble pays off will be measured across the 2026 tournament. The appointment also signals a generational shift in Moroccan football thinking, prioritising continuity of philosophy over importing a proven senior manager from outside the programme.