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Rabat – Mohamed Ouahbi, head coach of Morocco’s U-20 national team, led the Atlas Cubs to a historic victory at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile. Morocco beat Argentina 2–0 in the final, becoming the first Arab and second African team to win the title after Ghana in 2009.
Ouahbi’s journey to the top was untraditional: he never played professional football. He began his career as a schoolteacher in Belgium before moving into coaching.
The 49-year-old coach joined Anderlecht’s youth academy, where he spent over 17 years working with age groups from U-9 to U-21.
During his time at Anderlecht, Ouahbi helped develop top players like Youri Tielemans who now plays at Aston Villa, Remoero Lukako who plays for Inter, Adnan Januzaj who plays for Sevilla FC, and Charly Musonda, who played for Chelsea.
In 2015, he led the youth team to the UEFA Youth League semi-finals, beating big clubs like Barcelona and Porto.
After a short spell in Saudi Arabia as assistant coach at Al-Fateh, Ouahbi returned to Morocco. In March 2022, he was appointed head coach of the U-20 national team.
His early results were mixed: Morocco failed to qualify for the 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, and critics questioned his leadership.
Despite the pressure, Ouahbi kept his job and focused on building a strong team. At the World Cup in Chile, Morocco beat top teams including Spain, Brazil, South Korea, and France before beating Argentina 2-0 in the final.
Ouahbi’s coaching style is pragmatic, and it showed clearly at the U-20 World Cup. He allows opponents to dominate possession but punishes them on the counter.
His team stays compact, defends with discipline, and attacks with speed. Othmane Maamma, named best player of the tournament, leads counters with sharp vision and technique.
Zakaria Zabiri, the top scorer, finishes with precision, while Yassine Gessim controls the tempo and helps the team escape pressure.
Ouahbi, after he won the World Cup, quoted Carlo Ancelotti: “The lion runs to eat, the gazelle runs so it won’t be eaten. Both run to reach the goal,” a perfect reflection of his results-driven approach.
Ouahbi credited His Majesty King Mohammed VI for supporting youth football and said the win was the result of years of hard work. “For years, we have been waiting to break this glass ceiling,” he said after the final.
