Salé — Morocco's football head coach, Walid Regragui said on Tuesday that competition for spots on the national soccer team is fierce.

"There is competition between all the available players, and the tougher the competition, the more choice I have as coach to have the best possible squad," Regragui said during a press conference held at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, ahead of the Moroccan national team's fixtures against Gabon on November 15 in Franceville and Lesotho on November 18 at the Honor Stadium in Oujda, as part of the CAN 2025 qualifiers (Matchdays 5 and 6).

"The national team has grown with a great squad and we have become the soccer nation we wanted to be. We have been in the world's Top 13 for 2 years now, and that's a strong asset that attracts talented players," added the national coach.

Speaking on the preparations for the CAN 2025, the head coach stressed that the national team still had a few matches left to fine-tune its work, noting that "the important thing for us is to be ready for the CAN, at home, because we have a duty to achieve results and show a good level."

Regragui also spoke on Hakim Ziyech's absence, stating that "Ziyech has not competed for two months. He should work with his team and once he reaches his level, he will join us."

Commenting on Adam Masina's call-up, the national head coach said that he wanted to see how the Torino player, who has switched positions to become a central defender, develops. "We are undergoing progress and we might see other profiles joining the national team," he added.