One of the leaders of Morocco, Diaz (26 caps, 14 goals) is hungry. Hungry for the World Cup, hungry for international appearances, hungry for titles.
Crowned AFCON champions after infamously being awarded the title months after the final, he now embodies the spirit of a team that, at the last World Cup, shook up the giants as outsiders to reach the semi-finals. Now, Morocco intend to send a message to the world from their very first match against Brazil.
After a mixed season with Real Madrid, marked by several tough months under Xabi Alonso before bouncing back under Alvaro Arbeloa, the Spanish-Moroccan experienced last January’s AFCON as a real breath of fresh air.
Back in the Spanish capital, Brahim managed to take advantage of a turbulent atmosphere in Madrid to earn more playing time and gradually establish himself in his coach’s starting eleven.
Real Madrid showed their best form of the season with Diaz in the side; they knocked Manchester City out of the Champions League and beat Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu.
All of which has prepared him for the biggest moment of his life.
A childhood dream for Brahim Diaz
Diaz knew that by choosing Morocco over Spain, he was giving himself the chance of a lifetime. Because the Malaga-born player has been waiting for just one thing for years: his big World Cup debut. And it’s at the MetLife Stadium that the story will finally be written.
His national team, meanwhile, is turning a page. Former manager Walid Regragui stepped down believing that Moroccan football “needed a fresh start”, making way for Mohamed Ouahbi.
Trained in Belgium, at Anderlecht, the 49-year-old joined the Moroccan set-up in 2022 with the under-20s, before taking charge of the under-23s in 2025.
Regragui’s resignation sped everything up: Ouahbi found himself thrust into the role of head coach of the Atlas Lions with a clear message: build on what’s already been achieved.
In the current team, Diaz remains the leader - just as he was under Regragui.
In perfect physical and mental condition, according to those close to him, Diaz has shown absolute confidence since joining the squad after the end of the club season.
The Real Madrid player approaches his first World Cup with a clear ambition: to keep up the momentum from the last AFCON and continue to make an entire nation dream - the same nation that was swept up in the historic run of 2022.
Because this time, expectations are of a different kind. Players, coaches and fans all know that Morocco will be under the spotlight, much more than four years ago.
Yet the Atlas Lions still retain that outsider status that suits them so well. Since 2022, the squad has been significantly strengthened, notably with the recent arrival of wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi. The message is clear: this Morocco must be taken very seriously.