Achraf Hakimi, the captain of the Moroccan national football team, has been named in the Atlas Lions' squad for the upcoming World Cup, despite facing an injury sustained during the Champions League semi-finals against Bayern Munich. The 27-year-old full-back, who plays for Paris St-Germain, has not featured in a match since the first leg against Bayern on April 28. However, he was spotted training on Tuesday as the team prepares for the Champions League final against Arsenal this Saturday.
Alongside Hakimi, the squad includes several other notable players such as Noussair Mazraoui from Manchester United, Issa Diop from Fulham, Chadi Riad of Crystal Palace, and Sunderland's Chemsdine Talbi, as well as Brahim Diaz from Real Madrid. The roster also features former West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd, Sofyan Amrabat, who previously played for Manchester United, and ex-Leicester midfielder Bilal El Khannouss. Notably absent from the squad is former Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech.
Currently ranked eighth in the FIFA standings, Morocco made a historic run to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar, where they were narrowly defeated by France. In a controversial turn of events, they were also declared champions of last year's Africa Cup of Nations after Senegal's victory was overturned due to their walk-off during the final match.
For the World Cup, Morocco has been drawn into Group C, where they will compete against Scotland, Brazil, and Haiti. Their opening match will be against Steve Clarke's Scotland on June 19. The squad's composition includes a solid mix of goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards, setting the stage for what could be an exciting tournament for the Atlas Lions.
Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal), Munir Mohamedi (RS Berkane), Ahmed Tagnaouti (Royal Armed Forces)
Defenders: Noussair Mazraoui (Manchester United), Anass Salah-Eddine (PSV Eindhoven), Youssef Belammari (Al Ahly), Nayef Aguerd (Marseille), Chadi Riad (Crystal Palace), Issa Diop (West Ham United), Redouane Halhal (KV Mechelen), Achraf Hakimi (Paris St-Germain), Zakaria El Ouahdi (Genk)
Midfielders: Samir El Mourabet (Strasbourg), Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille), Neil El Aynaoui (Roma), Sofyan Amrabat (Real Betis), Azzedine Ounahi (Girona), Bilal El Khannouss (Stuttgart), Ismael Saibari (PSV Eindhoven)
Forwards: Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Real Betis), Chemsdine Talbi (Sunderland), Soufiane Rahimi (Al Ain), Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos), Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid), Yassine Gessime (Strasbourg), Ayoub Amaimouni-Echghouyabe (Eintracht Frankfurt)
As reported by bbc.com.
