Morocco head coach Walid Regragui has expressed frustration after several high-profile football nations declined opportunities to face the Atlas Lions during the latest international break, despite Morocco’s eagerness to compete at a higher level.
The North African side concluded their June fixtures with back-to-back wins, including a commanding 2-0 victory over Benin and a prior triumph over Tunisia by the same scoreline.
The results extended Morocco’s winning streak to a record-setting 12 consecutive matches, underlining the team’s strong form. Yet, despite these successes, Regragui found himself fielding questions about the quality of the opposition his team faced.
Speaking candidly at a post-match press conference, Regragui pushed back against criticism that Morocco was intentionally avoiding stronger opponents. “We want to face the best,” he said. “You know me — I’ve never backed away from a challenge. But the big teams? They simply don’t want to play against us.”
His comments appeared to target football federations in Europe and elsewhere, who he claimed rejected Morocco’s proposals for friendlies during the FIFA-sanctioned window.
“We offered to play in June,” he explained. “Ask them why it didn’t happen — not us. We are ready, we are willing, and we’re certainly not afraid of anyone.”
While nations such as Algeria, Senegal, and others secured fixtures against top-tier European sides—Sweden, Ireland, and England among them—Morocco was left facing lower-ranked African opponents.
Regragui emphasized that the lack of high-profile matches was not a choice made by his team or the Moroccan Football Federation.
“People say we need to challenge ourselves more. We agree. But the reality is, those so-called ‘big’ teams didn’t want to travel, didn’t want to host, and ultimately didn’t want to play us,” he said.
Regragui hinted that the European football calendar may have played a part in the scheduling issues, with the UEFA Nations League and 2026 World Cup qualifiers occupying a number of potential opponents.
However, he also suggested that logistical preferences and end-of-season fatigue influenced the decisions of more prominent national sides to stay closer to home.
“It could be that they didn’t want to travel far or disrupt their players’ rest. That’s something we can understand to a point,” he admitted, “but it doesn’t change the fact that we reached out, and the answer was no.”
The comments reflect a growing sense of ambition within Moroccan football circles, especially after their historic performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where they became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals. Since then, the Atlas Lions have sought to build on that momentum by regularly testing themselves against elite-level opposition.
Instead, Morocco’s June friendlies—though successful in terms of results—did little to advance that goal. While the victories maintained morale and extended their record streak, the absence of marquee opposition left fans and analysts questioning how much the team’s progress could truly be measured under the current conditions.
Regragui made it clear, however, that the door remains open. “We’re not running away from anyone. We’re here. We’re ready. The question is, who is willing to meet us on the pitch?”
AH ! Des gros ne veulent pas se frotter au Maroc ! pic.twitter.com/N5rrlFSJmm
— SOCCER212 (@SCCR_212) June 10, 2025
