Former Barcelona head coach, Xavi Hernandez has reportedly emerged as one of the contenders to take over as manager of Morocco for the 2026 World Cup.
There have been strong suggestions that a change could be made before to the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada due to uncertainty surrounding Walid Regragui’s position.
Regragui led Morocco to a historic semi-final spot in the 2022 World Cup, eliminating Spain along the way, and returned home as heroes.
Regragui’s standing has been questioned, though, when the Atlas Lions, this year’s hosts of the African Cup of Nations, lost to Senegal in extra time in a highly contentious manner.
Regragui Could Step Down As Morocco Head Coach
According to Marca as reported by Football Espana, Regragui appears inclined to step down from the Morocco position due to the intense tone of the loss and criticism.
According to the source, a dismissal is inevitable, even though the Royal Moroccan Football Federation denied in a statement released earlier this week that he had been fired.
Xavi is rumoured to be a candidate for the position after departing Barcelona in 2024. However, negotiations have not yet started.
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Although, Radio Catalunya stated that Xavi is not likely to take the position. Due in part to the contentious environment surrounding the national team and in part to the timeframe, the 45-year-old believes that this is not the right time to head Morocco.
He believes there is not enough time to complete a project in time for the World Cup.
The former Spain international might be willing to take over in order to prepare for the 2030 competition after this summer’s World Cup, which will be hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain.
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