Walid Regragui, the coach of the Moroccan national football team, stressed that the goal of the “Atlas Lions” in the Africa Cup of Nations finals, which will start next week in Morocco, is not limited to a respectable appearance, but goes beyond that to winning the continental title, recalling the huge public support that awaits him and the positive pressure associated with organizing the tournament on home soil.

The national coach’s statements came in a special interview broadcast by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation’s YouTube channel, where he presented a clear vision of his technical choices and ideas before the kickoff.

Regragui explained at the beginning of his speech that his decision to forgo the traditional press conference this time was a personal one aimed at focusing entirely on the preparations, saying: “We are in a race against time, and there will be a lot of talk during the tournament… Now the important thing is to work.” He also considered that announcing the list directly gives the technical staff more room to focus on the training camp and address the tactical aspects before the opening match.

The national coach provided detailed explanations regarding the criteria for selecting the players on the roster, stressing that the decision was not made on the spur of the moment, but rather was the result of work that lasted for more than a year and a half, since the period after the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Regragui continued: “We built a strong and cohesive group. The players know our style of play and our life within the national team, and the pressure of competition. We relied on readiness, experience, and harmony.” He added that the recent results gave a complete picture of the work done, citing a series of 19 victories with only one draw.

Regarding his decision to call up 26 players despite the possibility of calling up 28, Regragui explained that previous experiences have proven that increasing the number does not serve the mental balance of the group, stating: “26 players is a large number, and it meets all the needs. We want a focused and cohesive group.”

The coach also mentioned including Hamza Ighman and Youssef Belamri as substitutes, noting that Ighman’s health condition had been carefully studied, and highlighting that calling him up despite the injury was a “calculated risk” in the hope of benefiting from him during the tournament.

The national coach did not fail to respond to the questions of the football public regarding the absence of names from the generation of the national team that won the World Cup for under 20 years old, as he confirmed that this does not mean exclusion at all, pointing out that some of them were already close to the first team or within the path of the Olympic team.

Regragui continued: “The younger generation is strongly represented by Shamseddine Talbi, Ilyas Bensghir and Hamza Ait Boudlal. They are young players, along with Ilyas Akhomach and Bilal El Khannous, and these are names that can also continue with us until the 2030 World Cup.”

The coach concluded his remarks with a direct message to the Moroccan fans, whom he described as “the best in the world,” stressing that their support would be the key to success in one of the strongest continental editions. He said: “We will all win or we will all lose, but we will fight to make this nation happy. Our goal has been clear from the beginning: to win the CAN on Moroccan soil.”