Saudi outfit Al Ittihad seeking to appoint Walid Regragui as new head coach

Saudi Pro League outfit Al Ittihad are seeking to appoint high-rated tactician Walid Regragui as their new head coach, as he prepares to formally terminate contract with the Moroccan Football Federation.

The 50-year-old’s future has been under intense scrutiny following Morocco’s failure to clinch the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title on home soil, a tournament many had tipped the hosts to win. The painful defeat to Senegal national football team in the final only deepened questions about whether a new direction was needed.

Per reports, Regragui has returned to Morocco to formally terminate his contract as head coach of the Atlas Lions, with the Moroccan FA finalising the necessary administrative procedures for his exit.

However, Regragui, one of the best tactician on the continent, is being considered as a replacement for Portuguese coach Sérgio Conceição at Al Ittihad.

Currently ranked 5th in the Saudi Pro League, trailing leaders Al Nassr by 19 points, the club has managed just 12 wins from 24 matches in the 2025-2026 Saudi Pro League campaign.

Regragui’s tenure, which began in August 2022, will be remembered for both historic achievement and near-misses. He famously guided Morocco to a remarkable fourth-place finish at the 2022 FIFA World Cup — the best-ever performance by an African nation at the tournament.

However, the 2025 AFCON final proved a crushing blow. Senegal edged Morocco 1-0 after 120 dramatic minutes at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. In a defining moment, Brahim Diaz saw his last-minute penalty saved by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, sealing the hosts’ heartbreak.

With formalities nearing completion, Moroccan football now stands on the brink of a new era — one shaped by lessons from recent disappointment and ambition for global success in 2026.

Regragui already had a rather mixed stint in the Gulf, having coached Qatari side Al Duhail. He was dismissed from his position in October 2010, just 10 months after his appointment.