Walid Regragui, the Moroccan football coach who led his national team to the 2022 World Cup semifinals, becoming the first African team to do so in modern history. Also known as the architect of Morocco’s underdog legacy, he turned a team with limited resources into a global sensation through discipline, tactical intelligence, and deep cultural connection. Before taking charge of the national team, Regragui spent years building his reputation in Moroccan club football, coaching Wydad AC to domestic dominance and learning how to manage high-pressure environments with calm authority.
His success didn’t come from flashy tactics or big-name signings. It came from knowing his players—many of whom grew up in the same neighborhoods as he did—and giving them a system that maximized their strengths. He trusted his defenders to hold firm, let his midfielders control the tempo, and gave his attackers freedom to exploit space. That approach worked against Spain, Portugal, and Spain again in the knockout rounds. He didn’t just coach a team; he unified a nation behind a shared identity. This is why African coaches are now being seen not as backups, but as leaders who can compete at the highest level.
Related to Regragui’s rise are other key figures in African football: CAF, the Confederation of African Football, the governing body that oversees continental competitions and development programs, and Morocco national team, the squad that broke records by reaching the World Cup semifinals in 2022. Regragui’s impact extends beyond wins—he showed that African teams don’t need to copy European models to succeed. They just need confidence, structure, and belief. His leadership also highlights the growing influence of African coaches in global football, a shift that’s slowly changing how the world views talent from the continent.
What you’ll find in this collection are stories that connect to Regragui’s journey: the rise of African teams on the world stage, the challenges of coaching under pressure, and the quiet victories that don’t always make headlines but define legacies. From Ghana’s Black Stars chasing a fifth World Cup to Nigeria’s fight against corruption in sports, these pieces show how one coach’s success is part of a much bigger movement across the continent.
The Atlas Lions, under coach Walid Regragui, held a closed training camp in Maâmora ahead of a sold-out friendly against Mozambique in Tangier on November 14, 2025, as part of preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.
