Rabat – Morocco’s reigning champions, Maghreb Fes, have strengthened their squad with seven new signings as the club prepares for the 2026-27 season and its return to continental competition.
The Fes-based club announced the arrival of Youssef Hafidi, striker Christopher Ibaye, Chigovatsu Mabasa, Samba Mbengue, defender Abdellah Khafifi, Amine El Farsi, and striker Devin Titus
The new additions are part of the club’s efforts to expand its squad options and improve its competitiveness ahead of a season in which Maghreb Fes will seek to defend its domestic title while also competing on the African stage.
The signings are also expected to give the coaching staff greater tactical flexibility, particularly as the team faces a more demanding schedule involving both national and continental fixtures.
Rui Almeida takes charge
The squad overhaul comes after Maghreb Fes appointed Portuguese coach Rui Almeida as head coach in July.
Almeida signed a one-season contract with the club as part of a broader restructuring of its sporting department.
His appointment followed the departure of sporting director Badr El Kadouri and marked what the club described as a new phase in its project to modernize and develop its sporting structure.
The club has also announced a comprehensive restructuring of its sporting administration, with the objective of strengthening governance, sporting supervision, and the overall organization of the team.
The changes come after a historic 2025-26 campaign in which Maghreb Fes returned to the top of Moroccan football by winning the national league title.
Preparations underway in Agadir
Maghreb Fes is currently holding a closed training camp in Agadir from August 10 to August 24 as part of its preparations for the new campaign.
The camp is designed to improve the squad’s physical and technical readiness while helping the coaching staff integrate the new arrivals with the players who were part of last season’s title-winning team.
Building chemistry will be particularly important for Almeida, who will be tasked with creating a balanced squad capable of competing on multiple fronts.
Champions League challenge
One of the club’s biggest challenges next season will come in the CAF Champions League, where Maghreb Fes is set to face FC Rahimo in the first preliminary round.
The continental campaign will provide an early test of the team’s revamped squad and its ability to compete beyond Morocco.
With seven new players added to the roster, the club is looking to ensure that it has sufficient depth to cope with the demands of domestic and African football.
Defending the title
Maghreb Fes enters the new season with expectations significantly higher than before following its league triumph in 2025-26.
The club will now aim to build on that success while establishing itself as a consistent force in Moroccan football.
The combination of new signings, a new head coach, and changes within the sporting administration reflects the club’s ambition to consolidate its recent progress.
For the Fes-based side, the challenge will be to turn this renewed investment into results and maintain the competitive level that ultimately delivered its first league title of the new era.
With preparations continuing in Agadir and the CAF Champions League campaign approaching, Maghreb Fes is entering the new season with a strengthened squad and ambitions that extend well beyond defending its domestic crown.
