El Jadida Open 2026

Inside the halls of Centre Culturel OCP in El Jadida, Morocco, tables were lined with timing mats and displays as 37 competitors gathered for a packed day of twisting puzzles on July 11, 2026. The atmosphere carried the focused rhythm of turning plastic, quick inspection routines, and sudden drops onto the pads as solvers worked through seven official events across 12 full rounds. The gathering brought together seasoned contenders and newcomers alike, marking a memorable chapter for the local Rubik's Cube community.

At the heart of the action stood Lilya Lagzouli, who delivered an extraordinary across-the-board performance to capture three event titles and reach the podium in every single contest entered. Her crowning achievement came in the premier 3x3x3 Cube event, where she maintained control across three rounds of play. Lagzouli locked in top position with a winning average of 9.76 seconds and an event-best single solve of 9.10, leading an all-Moroccan podium alongside Omar Lyoubi in second place at 10.42 and Anas Fathani in third at 11.35.

Lagzouli extended her command across completely different puzzle formats throughout the day. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed final, she outpaced a field of 20 competitors by posting a winning average of 21.31 seconds alongside a best single mark of 15.89. She followed that triumph with another first-place finish in Skewb, where she recorded a 6.86 average and a 5.42 single to claim her third title of the competition. Beyond her trio of victories, Lagzouli added runner-up finishes in Megaminx and 4x4x4 Cube, plus third-place finishes in 2x2x2 Cube and Pyraminx, making El Jadida Open 2026 a thorough showcase of her versatility.

The Megaminx contest delivered the day's biggest record milestones courtesy of Omar Lyoubi. Solving his way through the dodecahedral challenge, Lyoubi registered a brilliant national record single of 52.28 seconds on his way to securing a national record average of 1:00.03. His standard-setting marks sealed first place in the event, finishing ahead of Lagzouli's 1:08.58 average and Belgium's Ayhan Sarier, who took third on the podium with a mark of 1:17.73.

Belgium's Ayhan Sarier proved to be another dominant force at the tables, capturing two gold medals and appearing on five total podiums. Sarier secured victory in the Pyraminx final with a sharp 3.38 winning average and a 2.62 single, topping Haroun Mahjoubi of France at 4.95 and Lagzouli at 6.77. Sarier also claimed first place in the 4x4x4 Cube event, posting an average of 39.94 to edge out Lagzouli's 40.74. In the 2x2x2 Cube contest, Fariss Safouan Essalmi claimed gold with a 3.76 winning average, finishing just ahead of Sarier at 3.92 and Lagzouli at 4.15.

Away from the top steps of the podium, the tournament produced significant breakthroughs for competitors expanding their repertoires. Adam Tarrass took on seven events and delivered major personal bests, cutting his Megaminx time to 1:34.71 for a 32.2 percent improvement alongside a 29.6 percent drop to 3.16 in 2x2x2 Cube on his way to fourth in Megaminx. Alaa Boussaken also tackled seven disciplines, slicing 35.6 percent off his Pyraminx personal best down to 8.75. Ali Bashar improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 30 percent to 4.46 and took on Megaminx for the first time with a 2:17.31 finish, placing sixth overall in Skewb. Saad Sankari took on seven events, recording first-time marks in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 58.01, Megaminx at 3:24.41, and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:31.53 while claiming fifth in 2x2x2 Cube.

Several other competitors marked notable milestones in their competitive journeys. Mohamed-Amine Lebtaini took fifth place in Megaminx while posting his first official attempts in that event at 1:32.31 and in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 51.63, alongside a 28.6 percent personal best of 2.57 in 2x2x2 Cube. Omar Benchekroun Belabbes logged seven events, putting up initial career marks in Pyraminx at 8.30 and 4x4x4 Cube at 2:47.68. Abdullah Love entered six events, logging first attempts in Skewb at 16.25 and 4x4x4 Cube at 2:07.14 while improving his 2x2x2 Cube best to 7.03. Nassim Benmoussa completed a successful official debut at his first WCA competition, taking on six events including opening career marks of 6.57 in 2x2x2 Cube, 35.71 in 3x3x3 Cube, and an eighth-place finish in Skewb.

With 14 total podium places claimed by Moroccan competitors alongside six for Belgium and one for France, the speed cubing gathering reflected an intense, collaborative atmosphere from start to finish. From the technical mastery displayed in the headline 3x3 results to the sprawling multi-layered puzzle brackets, the event highlighted the depth of regional talent. As the day concluded at Centre Culturel OCP, El Jadida Open 2026 proved to be a vibrant showcase of elite speedcubing performance and broad personal progression across every discipline.