Morocco's Adjustments Ahead of the 2026 World Cup
The Moroccan national soccer team is counting on the promising duo of Marouane Saadane and Ameen Al-Sabahi to fill the unexpected and shocking void left by fellow players Nayef Aguerd of Olympique Marseille and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, a star from Real Betis, who have both been ruled out of the 2026 World Cup due to injury. The absence of Aguerd and Ezzalzouli has been confirmed as their names have been officially removed from the roster submitted to FIFA, which in turn has approved the inclusion of Saadane and Al-Sabahi to the team.
According to Moroccan newspaper "Al-Mountakhab," the national coach Mohamed Wahbi has decided to replace Ezzalzouli with Al-Sabahi, while Saadane will take Aguerd's spot. Al-Sabahi, a 25-year-old left winger, played last season with Angers in the French league. He participated in 27 matches across all competitions, scoring four goals and providing one assist, accumulating 2,014 minutes of play according to the reputable site "Transfermarkt." Al-Sabahi joined Angers in the summer of 2025 on a free transfer after his contract with his previous team, Al-Fath Saudi, ended.
On the international stage, Al-Sabahi is considered a fresh face for the Moroccan national team, having been called up by Coach Wahbi for two recent friendly matches. He played against Burundi (which ended 5-0) and Madagascar (4-0) on May 26 and June 2, respectively, delivering two assists in the former while remaining on the bench during the friendly against Norway, which concluded in a 1-1 draw last Sunday.
As for Saadane, aged 34, he first donned the Moroccan national team jersey in 2015 during the tenure of coach Badou Zaki but has not been a regular feature for the "Atlas Lions." Since his debut, Saadane has played in only 17 matches, most notably during the Arab Cup in 2025 held in Doha, where Morocco emerged victorious, alongside a few friendly matches and two appearances in the African Nations Championship in 2016.
Last season, Saadane, who plays as a center-back, featured in 32 matches for his team, Al-Fath Saudi, contributing one assist. The draw for the World Cup has placed Morocco in Group C alongside record-holders Brazil (with five titles), Haiti, and Scotland. The Moroccan team, which finished fourth in the last edition, will kick off its World Cup campaign in 2026 with a highly anticipated match against Brazil next Sunday at 1:00 AM local time in Mecca and Doha.
As reported by aljazeera.net.
