As Morocco finalizes its preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the North African side has made a headline-grabbing selection call: star captain Achraf Hakimi will be part of the Atlas Lions’ tournament squad, despite being sidelined with an injury picked up months earlier in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
The 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain full-back, who boasts 95 senior international caps for Morocco, has not featured in competitive action since his side’s first-leg victory over Bayern Munich on 28 April. However, recent images of Hakimi taking part in full team training on Tuesday, ahead of PSG’s upcoming Champions League final against Arsenal, have given Moroccan football officials enough confidence to include the influential right-back in their 26-man roster.
Hakimi is far from the only high-profile name to earn a spot in Walid Regragui’s squad. The call-up list features a host of top talent plying their trade across Europe’s biggest leagues: Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui, West Ham United centre-back Issa Diop, Crystal Palace defender Chadi Riad, Sunderland young winger Chemsdine Talbi, and Real Madrid attacking midfielder Brahim Diaz all secured places. Former Manchester United holding midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, now at Real Betis, Olympique de Marseille defender Nayef Aguerd, and VfB Stuttgart playmaker Bilal El Khannouss were also included in the final selection.
In a surprising omission, former Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech did not make the cut for the Atlas Lions, ending his hopes of featuring in a third consecutive World Cup tournament.
Currently ranked eighth in the official FIFA Men’s World Rankings, Morocco enters the 2026 tournament on a wave of historic momentum. The side made history as the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final at the 2022 edition in Qatar, where they fell to eventual champions France in a tightly contested match. More recently, Morocco secured a controversial Africa Cup of Nations title in 2025, when their final victory was reinstated after an initial walk-off declaration awarded the win to Senegal, which was later overturned by confederation officials.
Drawn into Group C for the 2026 World Cup, Morocco will face tough competition from Scotland, five-time champions Brazil, and CONCACAF side Haiti. Their opening group match is scheduled for 19 June against Steve Clarke’s Scotland side, as both teams look to kick off their tournament campaigns with three crucial points.
Below is the full roster selected by Morocco for the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
**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)