The Moroccan national team defeated Paraguay 2-1 in a friendly match played on Tuesday at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, France — a performance that gives coach Mohamed Wahbi his first win in charge and provides Morocco with a timely confidence boost ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Background: Wahbi’s early days with the Atlas Lions
This was coach Mohamed Wahbi’s second match in charge of the Atlas Lions, having taken over from Walid Regragui less than a month ago. In his first match, Morocco drew with Ecuador, and now Wahbi — who led the Moroccan U-20 team to victory in the FIFA U-20 World Cup — has secured his first win. His promotion from youth to senior level reflects a broader pattern at the Moroccan federation: bet on internally-trained coaches who already understand the player pool and the club ecosystem, rather than bring in a new foreign manager so close to a World Cup.
Key details: the goals
After a goalless first half, Bilal El Khannous opened the scoring for Morocco in the 48th minute, following a brilliant pass from captain Achraf Hakimi. Nael El Aynaoui, the Roma midfielder, added the second goal in the 53rd minute, capitalizing on another assist from Hakimi. Two goals in five minutes, both assisted by the same player, summarises why Hakimi’s availability is such an important variable for Morocco — he is not just a full-back, he is the team’s most reliable creator in transition moments.
Before the final whistle, Paraguay pulled one back in the 87th minute when Gustavo Caballero headed home a goal. The late concession is a reminder that Wahbi’s side is still refining its defensive structure in the last 10 minutes of matches, but the result itself held.
What’s next: a serious World Cup group
It is worth noting that the draw placed Morocco in a relatively easy group in the 2026 World Cup, alongside Brazil, Scotland and Haiti. Framing the group as “easy” is generous — Brazil is a historical heavyweight and Scotland a well-organised European side — but the absence of another global superpower means Morocco can realistically target second place as a minimum objective.
The short-term challenge for Wahbi is to stack wins against mixed-level opposition like Paraguay while using the remaining friendlies to settle on a starting XI. Each friendly between now and the tournament will be used to test combinations around Hakimi and El Khannous, and to decide which of the Moroccan squad’s European-based players best fit into the new coach’s system.
