This is Club World Cup participant Wydad Casablanca
Wydad Casablanca is a Moroccan soccer club that stands out with 22 championship titles. The team is participating in this year’s FIFA Club World Cup and has been drawn into Group G, where it will face Manchester City, Juventus Turin, and Al-Ain.
This is Wydad Casablanca
Wydad Casablanca: History
Wydad Casablanca was founded on May 8, 1937, initially not as a soccer club but as a swimming club that also included water polo. A year later, tennis was added, and it was not until 1939 that a soccer department was established, supported by Père Jégo.
There were seven founding members, Mohamed Benjelloun Touimi being one of them. Where does the name “Wydad” come from? There are several versions of this story.
The most common explanation is that it comes from the Arabic word for “love.” However, the club’s chronicle also recounts a funny anecdote related to the name.
Apparently, a member of the founding committee arrived late for a meeting. The reason: he had been at the cinema watching the film “Wydad,” starring Egyptian actress and singer Umm Kulthum.
In 1942, the club was promoted to the highest Moroccan league, and with Morocco’s independence in 1956, it became the first club to be registered with the Moroccan Football Association.
Wydad Casablanca is also known outside Morocco for its fans. The ultra group “Winners 2005” created a spine-tingling atmosphere.
The Casablanca derbies against Raja and FAR Rabat are fiercely contested both on and off the pitch.
The greatest successes
Wydad Casablanca is undoubtedly one of the most successful football clubs in Morocco and is also the record champion with 22 titles.
The Mohamed V Cup caused a sensation between 1962 and 1980, as the club competed against the best in the world, including Real Madrid and FC Bayern Munich. In August 1969, Wydad lost 2-0 to the Munich side.
The most important triumphs
- 12x champions: 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1957, 1966, 1969, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1980, 1991, 1993, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022
- 9x Cup winners: 1970, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1989, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2001
- 3x CAF Champions League: 1992, 2017, 2022
In 1979, Casablanca won the competition shortly before it was discontinued, making Wydad the first and only winner from outside Europe and Latin America.
In 1992, the team entered the CAF Champions League winners’ list for the first time, adding the Arab Super Cup in the same year. In 2017 and 2022, they repeated their Champions League triumphs.
The victory in the final against Al Ahly (2-0, with Zouhair El Moutaraji scoring twice) three years ago also ensured that Wydad Casablanca has now, some time later, secured a ticket to the Club World Cup.
Wydad Casablanca squad: These are the top stars
The Wydad Casablanca squad is worth a total of €17.31 million (according to transfermarkt.de).
This quickly makes it clear that we cannot provide a list of big, expensive stars. Only five professionals break the million mark, with center back Jamal Harkass leading the way with a market value of €1.4 million.
Wydad has a relatively young team, with only a handful of players over the age of 29. Three Brazilians are in the squad, but with market values between €225,000 and €500,000, they are not among the best in their country.
Left winger Mohamed Rayhi was the top scorer last season with 13 goals. He spent many years in the PSV Eindhoven youth academy and played numerous games for Nijmegen and Sparta Rotterdam.
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This is head coach Amine Benhachem
Wydad Casablanca will be coached by Amine Benhachem – at least for the next few weeks. Rulani Mokwena was released at the end of May, and Benchamem will take over the team on an interim basis and coach them during the Club World Cup.
The 49-year-old, who will celebrate a milestone birthday during the Club World Cup, was born in Casablanca. In December 2013, he signed his first contract as head coach, joining AS Sale.
After stints at Ittihad Tanger, OC Safi, Khouribga, Mohammedia, and FUS Rabat, he became assistant coach at Wydad Casablanca in May 2023. The collaboration ended after only five months when Benhachem was lured away by RCA Zemamra with the position of head coach.
In April of this year, he returned to Casablanca. If he and his team have a successful Club World Cup (which will be difficult with opponents such as Juventus Turin and Manchester City), a longer-term commitment cannot be ruled out.
The stadium
Wydad Casablanca plays its home games at Stade Mohammed V. The stadium has a capacity of 55,000 and also houses a facility for athletics competitions.
The arena was opened on March 6, 1955, and, in addition to Wydad, Raja Casablanca also welcomes its opponents here. The stadium was originally opened under the name “Stade Marcel Cerdan.”
In 1956, it became the “Stade D’honneur” because Morocco gained its independence that year. Mohammed V became the country’s first king and the stadium was renamed after him in 1981.
In 2000, major renovations took place and the capacity was reduced from 80,000 to 55,000. The reason for this was the bid for the 2010 World Cup, which ultimately went to South Africa.
In 1988, the Stade Mohammed hosted the final of the Africa Cup of Nations. A few years later, in 2008, US singer Rihanna played a huge concert in Casablanca, attracting 110,000 spectators to the Stade Mohammed.
