Top five players left out of Morocco's FIFA World Cup 2026 final squad ft. En-Nesyri & Ziyech

Veterans Youssef En-Nesyri and Hakim Ziyech are excluded from the World Cup final squad.

Morocco will be entering the 2026 FIFA World Cup with huge expectations after an impressive last appearance in the competition. In the 2022 World Cup, they became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals. More recently, Morocco was controversially awarded the 2025 AFCON victory on their home soil.

Morocco’s head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, announced the final 26-member squad for the tournament, with the team currently in North America for World Cup preparations.

While key players like Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz and Yassine Bounou returned despite not making the preliminary squad, the team also witnessed several absences that have caused confusion amongst the fans. Veterans such as Youssef En-Nesyri and Hakim Ziyech, who played a crucial role in the 2022 edition, were excluded from the side.

Top five Morocco players who will miss the World Cup

Order	Player Name	Club
5	Ilias Akhomach	Rayo Vallecano
4	Amine Adli	AFC Bournemouth
3	Sofiane Boufal	Le Havre FC
2	Hakim Ziyech	Wydad Casablanca
1	Youssef En-Nesyri	Al-Ittihad

Also read: Morocco announce final squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 ft. Achraf Hakimi

5. Ilias Akhomach (Rayo Vallecano)

Ilias Akhomach was one of the players who was certain to be part of the World Cup squad. However, the player sustained an ankle injury late in the season in mid-March 2026. Though the player was expected to be fit before the commencement of the tournament, the manager’s decision to include players with only perfect match fitness affected his position in the squad.

4. Amine Adli (AFC Bournemouth)

Youngster Amine Adli missed out on what would have been his first-ever call-up for the World Cup. Adli has been widely regarded as one of the hot prospects to come out of Moroccan football. The player gained acclaim during his tenure at Bayer Leverkusen.

However, his inability to find regular game time at AFC Bournemouth has had a significant impact on maintaining his match fitness. It ultimately led the manager to move on to other players.

3. Sofiane Boufal (Le Havre FC)

Another veteran, Sofiane Boufal’s exclusion from the final squad has had mixed reactions. He was a crucial piece in the 2022 semi-final run, playing in all seven matches for the nation. Despite being included in the preliminary squad, Boufal was exempted from the squad due to overcrowding.

With the arrival of superstars like Brahim Diaz, the manager clarified that Boufal was not included to accommodate other talents in the position.

Also read: Morocco’s full schedule for FIFA World Cup 2026: Dates, kick-off times & venues

2. Hakim Ziyech (Wydad Casablanca)

One of the greatest Moroccan players of the modern generation, Hakim Ziyech, has cemented his stature with the national team. He made 64 appearances, scoring 25 goals, becoming the joint third-highest goal scorer for the nation. However, his form has declined in recent years.

It surely prompted the manager to move on to other in-form options. Also, the prioritisation of youth players under the new regime is seen as a key reason to exclude the veteran.

1. Youssef En-Nesyri (Al-Ittihad)

One of the most notable omissions was that of Youssef En-Nesyri. He played a crucial role in the national team, especially in the 2022 World Cup. It was his goal against Portugal in the quarter-finals that ultimately sent the side to their first-ever semi-finals.

The decision to leave out the veteran striker is said to be due to tactical reasons, with the manager preferring players with hold-up abilities.

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