Walid Regragui

Walid Regragui (Arabic: وليد الركراكي; born 23 September 1975), sometimes known as Hoalid or Oualid Regragui, is a Moroccan professional football manager and former player who played as a right-back. Born and raised in France, He is the head coach of the Morocco national team. He is widely considered one of the best football manager of his generation and one of the greatest and most successful Football Manager in African history of all time. He made history At the international Association football level when he led the team to the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup; the first national team to reach this stage in Africa and the Arab world.^[4]

Walid Regragui

Regragui with Morocco in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Walid Regragui[1]
Date of birth	(1975-09-23) 23 September 1975 (age 49)[2]
Place of birth	Corbeil-Essonnes, France
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	Morocco (head coach)
Youth career
	Corbeil-Essonnes
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–1999	Racing Paris	17	(3)
1999–2001	Toulouse	37	(3)
2001–2004	Ajaccio	72	(3)
2004–2006	Racing Santander	25	(0)
2006-2007	Dijon	10	(0)
2007–2009	Grenoble	39	(0)
2009-2010	Moghreb Tétouan
2010–2012	FC Fleury 91
Total		200	(9)
International career
2001–2009	Morocco[3]	44	(0)
Managerial career
2014–2020	FUS
2020	Al-Duhail
2021–2022	Wydad AC
2022–	Morocco
Medal record Men's football Representing  Morocco Africa Cup of Nations Runner-up 2004 Tunisia
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Born in Corbeil-Essonnes, Essonne,^[5] France, Regragui was a full international for Morocco. Clubs he played for include Toulouse, AC Ajaccio, Grenoble and Racing Santander. In the summer of 2009, he moved from Grenoble to Moroccan club Moghreb Tétouan.^[6]

Managerial career

Morocco

After retiring as a player, Regragui started his football coaching career as the assistant coach of Morocco's national team in September 2012.^{[citation needed]}

FUS

On 8 May 2014, he landed a head coaching job with Fath Union Sport for the 2014–15 season.^[7] Following his league performances and Moroccan Throne Cup victory in 2014, he was named Mars d'Or Coach of the Year in March 2015.^[8][9]

On 22 January 2020, he left the club by mutual consent.^[10]

Wydad AC

On 10 August 2021, Regragui was appointed as the head coach of Botola side Wydad AC.^[11] The team went on to win the 2021–22 Botola in his first season.^{[citation needed]} On 30 May 2022, he led Wydad AC to win its third CAF Champions League title, after beating defending champions Al Ahly in the final.^[12] He became only the second Moroccan manager to win the African Champions League, after Hussein Ammouta with Wydad in 2017.^[13] In December 2022, Regragui was nominated for the 2022 IFFHS World's Best Club Coach for his performance in the year in review with Wydad before becoming head coach of the Moroccan national team.^[14] He was subsequently adjudged the third best behind Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola.^[15]

Return to Morocco

On 31 August 2022, Regragui was appointed as the new head coach for the Morocco national team after the dismissal of former head coach Vahid Halilhodžić.^[16][17] On 21 September 2022, Regragui coached his first friendly game, which ended in a 1–0 victory against Madagascar.^[18]

In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, he led Morocco to the knockout stage for the first time since 1986,^[19] and to the quarter finals after beating Spain on penalties in the round of 16,^[20] making Morocco the fourth African nation and the first Arab nation to qualify for this stage in a World Cup competition.^[21][22] Regragui himself is the first African manager, and first Arab manager to reach this stage. Morocco would later beat favourite^[23][24] Portugal 1–0 and move on to the semi-finals,^[25] not only another first for Morocco, but also making them the first African team, and first Arab team to qualify for the semi-finals.^[26][27] However, they lost to France in the semi-final 2–0 on 14 December.^[28] Afterward, they finished in fourth place with a 2–1 loss against Croatia.^[29] After the World Cup concluded, Regragui was nominated for the 2022 IFFHS World's Best National Coach award.^[30] He placed third behind World Cup winning coach Lionel Scaloni and runner-up Didier Deschamps.^[31][32]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 30 August 2025^[33]

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	Win %
FUS	1 June 2014	22 January 2020	234	95	84	55	040.60
Al-Duhail	22 January 2020	3 October 2020	20	13	1	6	065.00
Wydad AC	10 August 2021	29 July 2022	48	31	9	8	064.58
Morocco	31 August 2022	Present	44	29	9	6	065.91
Total			346	168	103	75	048.55

Honours

Player

Ajaccio

• Ligue 2: 2001–02^[34]

Morocco

• Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2004^[35]

Individual

• Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2004^[36]

Manager

FUS

• Botola: 2015–16^{[citation needed]}
• Moroccan Throne Cup: 2013–14^{[citation needed]}

Al-Duhail

• Qatar Stars League: 2019–20^{[citation needed]}

Wydad AC

• Botola: 2021–22^{[citation needed]}
• CAF Champions League: 2021–22^[37]
• Moroccan Throne Cup runner-up: 2020–21^[38]

Morocco

• FIFA World Cup fourth place: 2022^[39]

Individual

• "Mars d'Or" Moroccan Coach of the Year: 2014^[40][9]
• Botola Best Coach of the Season: 2013–14,^[41] 2014–15,^[42] 2015–16,^[43] 2021–22^[44]
• Sky News Best Arab coach in the world: 2022^[45][46]
• "Africa d'Or" African Coach of the Year: 2023^[47]
• CAF Coach of the Year: 2023^[48]

Order

• Officer of the Order of National Merit (Morocco): 2004
• Commander of the Order of National Merit (Morocco): 2016
• Commander of the Order of the Throne: 2022