Morocco coach Walid Regragui said in Agadir on Monday that the Atlas Lions' goal is to finish top of Group E in African qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup? and move one step closer to qualification.
«We need to win the game against Congo Brazzaville and finish at the top of our group because our main objective is to qualify for the next World Cup», he told a pre-match press conference ahead of the Morocco-Congo Brazzaville match, scheduled for Tuesday at the Grand Stade d'Agadir for Matchday 4 (Group E) at 20:00.
«We are determined to increase our attacking intensity in order to play the best possible game», added the coach. «We'll try to combine quality with results, especially as we're playing in front of our home fans and in ideal conditions».
«It is important to find the best balance so that the best footballers play, but we also need a little more time to find the best offensive animation», he said, noting that «we have a bench of very high quality».
«The most important thing is the balance of the group, and if I feel that a player is capable of providing technical quality, I'll integrate him without hesitation», he added. Regarding Eliesse Ben Seghir, Regragui noted that the AS Monaco player «gives us more balance as an attacker».
As for the midfield, he explained that «Oussama El Azzouzi is a player of the future for the national team, and with the presence of Sofiane Amrabet, we'll have an athletic intensity that will certainly make a difference».
«We have a group that wants to win and move forward together», said the coach, who believes that his players will need to focus on getting the three points against Congo Brazzaville.
According to Regragui, «it's always difficult to play against a team with a low block, but it's up to us to find the automatisms and offensive animation to open up spaces and go out and score goals to win».
Last Friday in Agadir, the Atlas Lions defeated Zambia 2-1 in the third matchday of the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Morocco tops Group E with 6 points ahead of Zambia, Niger and Tanzania on 3 points each.