National coach Walid Regragui held a press conference in Agadir on Thursday, on the eve of the match against Zambia in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
He spoke in particular about the absences of Noussair Mazraoui and Amir Richardson.
“Noussair Mazraoui wished to make his pilgrimage… as for Amir Richardson, without going into details, he has family circumstances hindering his presence.”
In the press conference, Walid Regragui explained the reasons for the absence of the Atlas Lions’ defender and midfielder, despite their presence on the list.
At the same time, the coach announced that he had no plans to replace them numerically in the 27-man squad, arguing that there would be “only 23 players on the match sheet” against Zambia.
The national coach also commented on his team’s lack of drive in recent matches, notably against Mauritania last March (0-0).
“We have a confidence issue with the final touch, we are working on it continuously. We have good attacking players too, but having players with clubs is not the same as having players with the national team, harmony and synergy is important for us.”
Regragui explained:“As for the Congo game, we are not thinking about it right now. We have tomorrow’s game to focus on. We don’t have any issue with the stadium that will host the Congo game, we are waiting for the final decision, and this issue is with Faouzi Lekjaa, the president of the Football Association.”
Regragui concluded that during the Zambia game “the team will be looking for a win to make the fans happy, and to qualify as soon as possible. There is no easy game in football, we will play the game with respect for the opponent.”
The Atlas Lions will face Zambia tomorrow evening, Friday, at the Adrar Stadium for the third round of the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
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