Morocco: Mohamed Ouahbi’s squad list features several new faces and some notable returns!

Mohamed Ouahbi unveiled his squad for Morocco’s upcoming international break on Thursday. The Atlas Lions’ coach has called up 29 players, including several new faces such as Abdellah Ouazane, Soufian El Faouzi, and Yassir Zabiri, as well as the return of several key players.

Present at a press conference on Thursday, Mohamed Ouahbi revealed his squad list for Morocco’s upcoming international break. The Atlas Lions’ coach has called up 29 players for the upcoming matches, including two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Gabon and Lesotho, as well as a friendly against Ghana. The squad is marked by several new faces, but also by the return of several key players who were absent from the last World Cup.

Among the new faces is the young Abdellah Ouazane (17 years old). The Ajax Amsterdam attacking midfielder, who turned professional this summer, has impressed since his debut and continues his meteoric rise (11 matches, 1 goal, 3 assists). Another newcomer is Soufian El Faouzi (23), the young Schalke 04 midfielder who delivered a standout performance against Bayern Munich last weekend; he has also been called up for the first time. As we previously revealed, Yassir Zabiri is also included after his sensational start to the season with Racing Santander, already boasting 6 goals in 6 La Liga matches. Tawfik Bentayeb, the former Troyes player now at Anderlecht, is also part of the squad. However, Younès Ebnoutalib is absent, having been called up by Germany and is also eligible to play for Morocco. The 23-year-old striker has therefore made his choice.

Mohamed Ouahbi is betting on youth. Among the goalkeepers, Alaa Bellarouch has caught the eye of the national team coach. The former Strasbourg player, on loan from SC Braga to Dinamo Bucharest, has rediscovered his form and playing time in Romania. He will join Yassine Bounou, Munir El Kajoui, and Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti. For the rest of the squad, Mohamed Ouahbi is relying on several familiar faces, including Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz, Azzedine Ounahi, Ismaël Saibari, El Khannouss, and Nayef Aguerd, who has returned to Marseille. Several players who missed the last World Cup due to injury, such as Abde Ezzalzouli and Aguerd, are thus making their return.