Hakimi, Diaz Headline Morocco Squad For 2026 World Cup, En-Nesyri Out
Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has named uncapped Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi in his 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Atlas Lions stalwart Youssef En-Nesyri among several players missing out.
En-Nesyri is not the only player from the generation that reached the semifinals at the 2022 tournament set to miss the action, though Paris Saint-German defender Achraf Hakimi’s presence will be a balm for the fans.
ESPN reports that France U-21 international Bouaddi had been tipped to make a late run into the squad following his fine form in Ligue 1 in recent months, with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation revealing on May 15 that FIFA had approved the player’s request to switch nationality.
Raised in Northern France before coming through the Lille academy, the 6’1 midfielder will join Ouahbi’s stacked roster of midfield options at the expense of the likes of Imran Louza, Oussama Targhalline and Mohamed Rabie Hrimat.
En-Nesyri and playmaker Hakim Ziyech, both joint third in Morocco’s all-time scoring charts, are both overlooked, with the Al-Ittihad striker having featured in all seven of the Atlas Lions’ Africa Cup of Nations matches earlier this season.
He led the line for the North Africans at the last World Cup — scoring the winner against Portugal in the semifinal — but is one of several favourites of former head coach Walid Regragui who has lost his place under Ouahbi.
Ziyech is less of a surprise, despite his fine recent form back in the domestic top flight with Wydad Casablanca, while there’s also no place for Sofiane Boufal, Jawad El Yamiq or Achraf Dari, who were all part of the side that became Africa’s first semifinalists in Qatar in 2022.
Former France youth international Issa Diop of Fulham has made the squad after making his international debut in March, resisting overtures from Senegal, while captain Hakimi and reserve goalkeeper Munir El Kajoui have both made the cut despite recent injury concerns.
There’s further Premier League representation in the form of Noussair Mazraoui, Chadi Riad and Chemsdine Talbi. Uncapped Eintracht Frankfurt striker Ayoube Amaimouni has also been named in the Atlas Lions’ 26-man squad.
Ouahbi was appointed as Regragui’s successor in March following the Africa Cup of Nations campaign on home soil, where Morocco were initially beaten by Senegal by Rabat in the final, before the decision was later overturned by the Confederation of African Football as a consequence of the Teranga Lions’ infamous final walk-out.
Morocco begin their campaign against Brazil in East Rutherford on June 13, before facing Scotland in Foxborough six days later. Their Group C campaign concludes against Haiti in Atlanta on June 24.
المصدر: Leadership (Nigeria)