Carlos Queiroz has turned down the prospect of taking charge of Wydad after a representative of the Moroccan club contacted his agent, with the former Ghana manager focused on leading a national team at the 2027 Asian Cup.
Queiroz is currently without a contract after leaving the Ghana post by mutual consent following disappointing results at the start of the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Portuguese coach has been in serious talks with the Bahrain Football Association about managing Bahrain at next January’s Asian Cup. The vacancy became available after Croatia’s Dragan Talajic was dismissed.
Queiroz is not the only candidate being considered by the Bahrain Football Association. Reports have also identified Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Vladimir Petkovic and Spain’s Felix Sanchez as potential options.
Reports in Morocco had suggested that Wydad were considering Queiroz as a replacement for fellow Portuguese coach Sergio Pablo Brito. However, the club had not taken significant steps towards appointing him until the past few hours, according to information obtained by Kooora.
Tadeu Martins, Queiroz’s agent, said Wydad had expressed an interest but explained that the coach’s ambitions lay elsewhere.
“Wydad are interested in signing Queiroz, but the coach wants to take part in the World Cup for the sixth time in his career and become the first manager to appear in six different editions of the World Cup,” Martins told Kooora on Wednesday.
He added: “Therefore, managing a national team is his priority at this stage of his career.”
Queiroz is one of only two coaches to have taken part in five World Cup tournaments, alongside Serbia’s Bora Milutinovic.
The Portuguese manager led his country at the 2010 World Cup before coaching Iran at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 tournaments. He completed that run with Ghana at the 2026 World Cup.
Should Queiroz take charge of another national team and lead them at the 2030 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, he would set a previously unmatched record by appearing at six editions of the tournament as a coach.