With Morocco automatically qualified as the host country, “the objective is to see several players and take advantage of these matches to continue the team’s progress, in anticipation of the CAN scheduled at home,” said Regragui, during the press conference held in Maâmora (near Salé), to unveil the list of 26 players selected for the matches against Gabon and Lesotho, which will take place, respectively, on September 6 and 9 at the Grand Stade d’Agadir.
“I am thinking mainly about preparing for the CAN, giving playing time to certain elements, perhaps trying new tactics. It is an opportunity to work with more confidence and time, and to have certainties concerning certain players,” stressed the national coach.
Addressing the constraints linked to the start of the season, in particular the lack of competitiveness and the transfer window which affects the concentration of players, Regragui confided that the September list has always been difficult for this reason, mentioning the cases of Nayef Aguerd and Azzeddine Ounahi, called up even if they are not yet fixed on their situation in club, unlike Romain Saïss.
“We hope that the situation of Aguerd and Ounahi will be resolved and that they will find a solution. These are players I count on and I wanted to show them my confidence in them,” he said.
On the other hand, Romain Saïss, whose sporting situation is unclear, has not been called up, “even if he has done a good preparation”. “I prefer that he resolves his situation with his club and arranges his sporting project, it’s better for him”, he explained.
Regarding his relationship with the Olympic team, bronze medalist at the 2024 Olympics, Regragui stressed that since the 2022 World Cup, a rejuvenation effort has been launched, with a focus on the U23s, which constitute the antechamber of the A team.
“We learned, more from the failure of the CAN than from the success of the World Cup, that you need to have a strong substitutes bench. Today, thanks to the prospecting work we are doing, we have discovered more and more young players to ensure the succession. We have a base of almost 70 high-level players in Morocco and the competition within the national team is increasingly high compared to the past,” he rejoiced.
This is a collective work involving the president of the Federation, the National Technical Director and all national executives, with the objective “that Morocco wins,” he said.
Following the draw, Morocco, already qualified as host country, was placed in Group B alongside Gabon, Central African Republic and Lesotho. The final phase of the CAN (Morocco-2025) will take place from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026.
2024-08-30 00:42:33