Morocco appoint Ludovic Batelli and Tarik Sektioui to lead U20 and U23 national teams

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has appointed Ludovic Batelli and Tarik Sektioui as the new head coaches of Morocco’s U20 and U23 national teams following the promotion of Mohamed Ouahbi to the senior national side.

The two youth teams had previously been overseen by Ouahbi before he was named head coach of the Moroccan A team.

His departure created vacancies that the federation has now filled with the appointments of Batelli and Sektioui.

Sektioui will take charge of the U23 side, returning to a team he previously guided to notable success.

According to reports by Le360 Sport, the Moroccan coach led the U23 team to a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

That achievement marked the first Olympic medal in the history of Moroccan team sports.

His return to the role comes after a successful period with the Moroccan A’ team, where he oversaw a productive 2025 campaign that included victories in both the African Nations Championship and the Arab Cup.

Sektioui now faces the task of guiding the next generation of Moroccan players as the country prepares for upcoming youth competitions.

His immediate objective will be the U23 Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for 2027, which will serve as the qualification pathway to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, Batelli has been appointed to lead the U20 national team.

The French coach arrives with experience in youth development, having previously won the UEFA European Under‑19 Championship with France’s U19 side in 2016.

Batelli steps into a role that carries significant expectations following the achievements of his predecessor.

Ouahbi had overseen a historic milestone by leading Morocco’s youth side to its first world title across all age categories.

Before taking up the Moroccan role, Batelli had been without a club since September 2025 after leaving his position as technical director of Club Africain in Tunisia.

His career has also included roles in Algeria, where he worked as a youth coordinator in 2019, and in Ivory Coast, where he served as national technical director from September 2022 until October 2024.

The appointments signal a new phase for Morocco’s youth national teams as the federation continues its efforts to strengthen development pathways and maintain the momentum built in recent years.