Morocco has the opportunity to strengthen confidence before the start of the second round of the World Cup journey.

The Moroccan national team concludes its journey in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States along with Mexico and Canada, with a match against its Haitian counterpart in the third round.

The Moroccan team enters the match buoyed by a valuable victory against Scotland, which secured its qualification for the knockout stages. The "Atlas Lions" are hopeful of achieving a second consecutive win, thus maintaining their chances of topping the group and finishing the first round with a morale boost.

On the other hand, the Haitian team, despite being mathematically eliminated from the competition, aims to achieve its first historical points in the World Cup. They will try to deliver a strong performance against the Moroccan team to avoid repeating the scenario of their participation in the 1974 World Cup, where they accumulated three defeats and exited with a score of zero points.

Experts believe that while the match against Haiti may seem easy on the surface for the Moroccan team, the "Lions" must respect their opponent sufficiently to achieve a positive result that serves as motivation for Achraf Hakimi's teammates before the knockout matches.

In this regard, sports journalist Saida Alawi stated that given the vast differences between the two teams, the Moroccan team should comfortably secure the match, warning that "smaller" teams tend to rise to the occasion in such events. She noted that the Haitian team will strive in their final match in the World Cup to leave with dignity and will seek to win against the Moroccan team.

Alawi explained in a statement to Hespress that all teams facing the Moroccan national team now take them very seriously, noting that the "Atlas Lions" are no longer that surprising small team but have become a leading team on the global stage following their achievement in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

She emphasized that winning this match will be of great importance for the Moroccan team, as it will help determine the rest of the "Lions'" path in the tournament.

The same expert preferred that coach Mohamed Wahbi rest the key players to avoid any injuries that could disrupt plans, while also calling for the inclusion of new players like Anas Salah Eddine and Shams Eddine Talbi as starters, in order to assess their performance more accurately.

The sports journalist concluded that the most important aspect of the match is to secure the victory and achieve the three points that would pave the way for preparation for the knockout stages, affirming that the champion's character that the Moroccan team exhibits today requires them not to fear any opponent, no matter who they are.

Majid Al-Khal, a sports analyst, also confirmed that Morocco enters the match as the favorite on paper, while highlighting that World Cup matches have proven that theoretical differences mean nothing if they are not translated into focus and discipline on the field.

Al-Khal added in a statement to Hespress that the match against Haiti will be a decisive moment for the national team led by coach Mohamed Wahbi, noting that a victory here would give the "Lions" a significant advantage before thinking about the next round.

The sports analyst mentioned that tactically, the Moroccan team is expected to face an opponent that will defend with a low block and will try to exploit quick transitions. He noted that the Moroccan team must be patient in possession, speed up the pace of play, and utilize the flanks and movements between the lines to create spaces, while being cautious of losing the ball in advanced areas.

Al-Khal concluded that winning against Haiti will not only grant the "Atlas Lions" three points but will also boost confidence within the group and confirm the progress the team has shown in the previous two matches.

It is worth mentioning that the Moroccan team currently occupies second place in the group with 4 points, trailing Brazil on goal difference, which also has a strong match ahead against Scotland.

The match between Morocco and Haiti will take place today, Wednesday, starting at 11 PM Moroccan time, at the Atlanta Stadium in the state of Georgia, USA.