Morocco's 2026 World Cup Draw: A Balanced Group Echoing France ’98 Nostalgia

The 2026 World Cup draw proved balanced and in line with coach Walid Regragui’s plans, as he had publicly stated beforehand, wanting the Atlas Lions to meet a variety of opponents, even one as prestigious as Brazil today.

The draw mirrored Morocco’s group at France 1998, featuring Brazil, Scotland, and Norway; this time Haiti joined the lineup, altering the balance slightly overall.

And under Regragui, Morocco had beaten Brazil in a March 2023 friendly in Tangier, 2-1, and fans celebrated there.

Morocco’s generation, including Mustafa Hajji and Bassir Salahuddin, previously fell 3-0 to Brazil in France, then defeated Scotland in the group’s finale by the same score; yet a surprising failure to reach the knockout phase benefited Norway, who had drawn 2-2.

And Regragui will become the first Moroccan coach to lead the Atlas Lions twice at the World Cup, after Qatar 2022, when the team finished fourth.

And he will face a tough test at the Africa Cup in Morocco, needing to win the title to erase doubts there.

Punchline: this group is so balanced that even a sniper would take a breath and miss going for a clear favorite.

Punchline 2: Morocco’s game plan? defend, attack, recycle the ball, and pretend the press conference is a comedy roast.