On May 21, 2026, Morocco's national football team manager, Mohamed Wahbi, ignited the final phase of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, set to take place next summer in North America. He announced an expanded roster featuring 28 players selected for a closed training camp, which includes tactical surprises and notable call-ups.
At the forefront of this roster is rising talent Ayoub Bouaddi, a star from Lille OSC in France, who receives his first national team call-up after the Moroccan Football Federation successfully navigated his international eligibility and changed his sports nationality from French to Moroccan. Following a challenging journey with the French Football Federation, Bouaddi is now set to officially represent the "Atlas Lions" after previously leading the French U21 team to victory over Luxembourg while wearing the captain's armband.
Bouaddi, at just 18 years of age, is viewed as one of Morocco's most promising football assets. He has established himself as a critical player for Lille, participating in over 90 domestic and continental matches, and holds the record as the youngest player to compete in a continental club competition at the age of 16 years and three days. His selection to represent Morocco comes after a successful stint with the French U21 team.
Conversely, the roster also includes the temporary exclusion of key figures and historical pillars of the national team, such as Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui, and Azzedine Ounahi. The coaching staff has emphasized that this exclusion does not imply their removal from future considerations; rather, it is intended to rest some players while assessing the readiness of younger alternatives and refining the roster from over 50 players under evaluation.
The Moroccan squad for the World Cup training camp features a blend of experienced players, including the returning Sofiane Boufal and Ayoub Kaabi. The selected players are as follows:
- Goalkeepers: Munir Mohamedi, Mehdi Benatia, Yanis Ben Chaouachi, Ibrahim Gomis.
- Defenders: Mohammed Chibi, Marwan Saadan, Sofiane Bouftini, Abdelhamid Ait Bouledal, Anas Salah Eddine, Youssef Belaili, Ismail Bouaf, Sofiane Krouni.
- Midfielders: Ayoub Bouaddi, Imran Louza, Ismail Sabari, Osama Tergaline, Samir Al-Mourabit, Yassine Jassim, Sofiane Fawzi.
- Forwards: Sofiane Boufal, Ayoub Kaabi, Yanis Bakarawi, Othmane Maima, Sofiane Ben Jeddida, Ryan Bouenda, Yasser Zabiri, Tawfiq Ben Tayyib, Ayoub Maimouni.
The training camp for the "Atlas Lions" will commence tomorrow at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Maamora, continuing until next Tuesday, the date set for announcing the final strict squad that will head to the World Cup.
Following the final squad announcement, Morocco will engage in three strong friendly matches, starting with a face-off against Burundi on Tuesday at the Mohammed VI Complex, followed by matches against Madagascar and Norway on June 2 and June 7, respectively. These matches are crucial for ensuring the team's technical and physical readiness.
It is worth noting that the World Cup draw has placed the Atlas Lions in a challenging Group C, alongside teams like Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti, in the international tournament kicking off on June 11.
As reported by aljazeera.net.
