Regragui embraces Brazil showdown as Morocco target another deep World Cup run

Morocco head coach Walid Regragui says his team will approach the 2026 FIFA World Cup with ambition and humility after being drawn into a group that includes five-time champions Brazil.

The Atlas Lions, Africa’s top-ranked side and semi-finalists in 2022, will face Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in Group C, setting the stage for one of the most high-profile fixtures of the group phase.

Morocco became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final in Qatar, a run that transformed expectations around the team and elevated the continent’s belief on the global stage. 

But Regragui insists his players must remain grounded despite the attention and respect they now command from opponents.

“We need to stay humble and respect our opponents to make it through the group stage. And then, it will be like a new competition starting," said Regragui following Friday's draw.

“We’re ambitious of course, given our campaign at the 2022 World Cup. There are expectations with this team, and we’ll need to deliver.”

The group’s standout match will see Morocco take on Brazil — a team they famously defeated in a 2023 friendly — although the stakes and scale of the World Cup will present a different challenge.

“In this competition, we are always pitted against a huge team. This time, it’s Brazil: it will be a big match for us,” he said.

Scotland’s intensity and Haiti’s unpredictability complete a group that will require Morocco to manage pressure, rotation and discipline if they are to advance.

Regragui emphasised that qualifying from the group must remain the first objective, warning that past achievements cannot guarantee future success.

He believes the knockout rounds represent a new competition entirely, one that Morocco intend to reach with momentum.