Morocco's head coach, Walid Regragui, has stressed that the national team respects all its opponents and will face Zambia on Monday in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with «the clear objective of winning». «We play every match to win. We came to Zambia to deliver a good performance», Regragui said on Sunday at a press conference, ahead of Monday's clash in Ndola (2:00 p.m.) between Morocco and Zambia in the 8th round of Group E qualifiers. The coach underlined that although the match carries no stakes for the Atlas Lions, already qualified for the World Cup, it will be an opportunity to give other players the chance to showcase their talent. «We won't be fielding the same lineup that played on Friday against Niger, but we'll keep our objective of winning in mind», he said, adding: «The goal is to put on a strong performance, even if there's some fatigue, we'll need to manage that». He explained that this approach is also «a good strategy for us not to reveal all our cards», since Zambia is in the same group as Morocco at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). «It's also a chance for the players taking part in this match to show their qualities», he added. «We know Zambia well. They need to win and reaffirm their status in Africa. The changes in our squad will certainly have an impact, but that's a good thing, we don't want them to have too many reference points against us», he noted. «For us, the most important thing is that we're already qualified for the 2026 World Cup and that we maintain this positive momentum», Regragui emphasized, pointing out that «our focus is now on the upcoming AFCON 2025. The match against Zambia will be a good test». He also highlighted the importance of the final squad list for AFCON 2025, noting that every player is eager to be included. «I'm well aware of this responsibility. I can't afford to make mistakes in selecting the players», he stated. Morocco secured its ticket to the World Cup on Friday night with two rounds to spare after a commanding 5–0 win against Niger. The Atlas Lions lead Group E with 18 points from six wins in six games, followed by Tanzania (10 pts), Zambia and Niger (6 pts each), and Congo (1 pt). The 2026 World Cup will mark Morocco's seventh appearance at the finals and its third consecutive qualification (1970, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2018, 2022).
