Wahbi Restructures Morocco Squad After World Cup Exit

The World Cup is over. For Morocco, the real work starts now.

Quarter-finalists in 2026 and beaten 2–0 by France in North America, the Atlas Lions have earned respect on the global stage. That hasn’t stopped Mohamed Wahbi from reaching a blunt conclusion in the weeks since: this squad needs a jolt.

The Morocco head coach, backed to stay in his job by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation despite the World Cup exit, has begun a ruthless reassessment of his group. The message is clear. Sentiment stops here.

Six World Cup Names on the Chopping Block

According to Moroccan outlet Sport7, Wahbi has already settled on cutting six players who were part of his World Cup squad from the group to be announced for the September international window.

The casualties are significant:

• Ayoub El Kaabi
• Sofyan Amrabat
• Amine Sbai
• Youssef Belammari
• Marwan Saadane
• Goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi

are all expected to miss out.

This is not a light trim around the edges. It is a statement.

Wahbi, reading the lessons of the tournament, has identified a lack of variety and impact from his bench. Too many similar profiles. Not enough game-changers. In the knockout stages, that kind of limitation is fatal. France exposed it. Wahbi has no intention of watching the same film twice.

Sport7 also reports that more names could follow. Halhal and Amimoni are among those whose places are under threat as the coach pushes through a deeper restructuring.

Fresh Blood, New Ideas

The plan is already in motion. Wahbi will use the international camp at the end of September as a testing ground, calling up a raft of new faces as he searches for different tactical solutions.

He wants more than just energy. He wants options. Players who can flip a game with a single action, who give him flexibility to change shape and tempo without weakening the side.

The World Cup run in the United States, Canada and Mexico proved Morocco can live with the elite. The quarter-final exit showed how thin the margins are when the squad lacks depth in key moments.

So Wahbi stays. The core identity of the team likely stays. But the supporting cast? That is where the coach is ready to be brutal.

September’s list will reveal just how far he is prepared to go—and which new names will be trusted to carry Morocco into their next cycle.