Morocco announce 29-man AFCON qualifying squad with new faces

Mohamed Ouahbi has announced a 29-man Morocco squad for the next international break, combining several first-time call-ups with the return of important players. The Atlas Lions will face Gabon and Lesotho in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying before meeting Ghana in a friendly in Tangier. The squad includes established names such as Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz, Azzedine Ounahi, Bilal El Khannouss and Ismaël Saibari.

The most prominent new name is Abdellah Ouazane, the 17-year-old Ajax Amsterdam midfielder. Ouazane made his professional breakthrough this summer and has recorded 11 appearances, one goal and three assists since then. His inclusion gives Ouahbi an early opportunity to assess one of Morocco’s fastest-rising young players in a senior international environment.

Soufian El Faouzi has also earned his first call-up after making an impression with Schalke 04. The 23-year-old midfielder was singled out after a notable performance against Bayern Munich last weekend. Yassir Zabiri is another newcomer after a strong start to life at Racing Santander, where he has scored six goals in six Liga matches. Tawfik Bentayeb, formerly of Troyes and now with Anderlecht, completes the group of new outfield players.

There is one new face among the goalkeepers. Alaa Bellarouch, who is on loan from SC Braga at Dinamo Bucharest, has been rewarded after regaining regular playing time in Romania. He joins Yassine Bounou, Munir El Kajoui and Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti. The selection also confirms that Younès Ebnoutalib will not be involved. The 23-year-old forward has been called up by Germany, despite also being eligible to represent Morocco.

Ouahbi has brought back several players who were absent from Morocco’s most recent World Cup campaign. Nayef Aguerd returns after his move to Marseille, while Barcelona winger Abde Ezzalzouli is also back in the squad. Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, the Stade Rennais defender, has been recalled after missing the tournament through a selection decision. Their returns add experience and competition around a group that still contains a substantial number of younger players.

The squad is divided into four goalkeepers, 10 defenders, eight midfielders and seven attackers. The defensive group includes Noussair Mazraoui, Anass Salah-Eddine, Marwane Saadane, Redouane Halhal, Issa Diop, Zakaria El Ouahdi and Ali Maamar alongside Aguerd, Ait Boudlal and Hakimi. The midfield options are Samir El Mourabet, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Neil El Aynaoui, Oussama Targalline, El Khannouss, El Faouzi, Ounahi and Saibari.

The database record available for Mohamed Ben Ali does not place him in this Morocco selection. It identifies the player as a 31-year-old Tunisian right-back at Esperance Tunis, with a recorded market value of €500,000. His transfer history shows a move from CS Sfaxien to Esperance in the 2022-23 season and an earlier transfer from Stade Tunisien to CS Sfaxien in 2018-19. He is therefore separate from the Moroccan defensive group named by Ouahbi.

The immediate challenge for the coach is to integrate four first-time selections while managing the return of Aguerd, Ezzalzouli and Ait Boudlal. The gathering will last more than 15 days, giving Ouahbi an unusually long period to work with the squad. The schedule begins with the two AFCON qualifiers against Gabon and Lesotho before the friendly against Ghana in Tangier, making the break both competitive and developmental for a Morocco side balancing qualification duties with the introduction of new players.