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Morocco aiming to pip Brazil to top spot in Group C

football24 June 2026 11:00| © Backpage TXT
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Mohamed Ouahbi © Gallo Images

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has set his sights on securing top spot in Group C when facing Haiti at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on June 25.

Kick-off is at 12am CAT (SA, GMT+2).

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The Atlas Lions are tied with Brazil on four points ahead of the final round of group games, but trail the five-time world champions on goal difference in second place.

Ouahbi's side held the lacklustre Canarinho to a 1-1 draw in their 2026 World Cup opener on 14 June before registering their first win in the group with a 1-0 success against Scotland six days later.

The North Africans are now unbeaten in their last seven outings since the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, having triumphed against Paraguay (2-1), Burundi (5-0) and Madagascar (4-0), while drawing with Ecuador (1-1) and Norway (1-1).

Ouahbi is not about to underestimate the Grenadiers though, knowing full well that they will be determined to collect their first-ever points at the global showpiece.

The Caribbean outfit have waited a long time to feature on the world's biggest stage again, with their only other appearance coming all the way back in 1974.

Sebastien Migne's side put up a fight against Scotland in their opening match, but ultimately succumbed to a 1-0 defeat courtesy of John McGinn's 28th-minute goal.

Haiti's elimination was confirmed on 20 June following a 3-0 reverse to the Brazilians, leaving them without any goals at the spectacle in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

What was said:

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi

"My preference is to beat Haiti and finish ahead of Brazil in the group. There is talk we might play next against the Netherlands, but it could also be Japan, but even then France or Argentina, but it is not anything we are taking into consideration.

"Probably we are already qualified, but we still want to beat Haiti, and so we plan to field our best possible team in the game. We can use the same starting line-up, but there are still some things we are thinking about before deciding.

"Haiti are going to be 100 per cent motivated because it is a World Cup game, and they will have the objective of getting the first points of the tournament. We'll have to be wary of this.

"We've been analysing them from long before the World Cup, and they're a great team; we need to show patience."

Players to watch:

Morocco - Ismael Saibari will be targeting more goals against Haiti after finding the back of the net in each of his first two games at the 2026 World Cup. The 25-year-old attacking midfielder, who has been deployed as a striker by Ouahbi more recently, also struck the crossbar against Scotland after his shot took a deflection off Jack Hendry on 51 minutes. He had 31 touches on the day, of which three came in the opposition box, and also made a contribution in defence with three recoveries.

Haiti - Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has been the Grenadiers' outstanding player at the tournament thus far after impressing against Scotland and Brazil. The 27-year-old midfielder, who plays his club football for Wolves, had 55 touches on the ball against the Canarinho and completed 11 of his 15 passes in the final third, while making seven progressive carries as well as four recoveries.

Head-to-Head: N/A

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