Ajax prospect Aymean El Hani commits international future to Morocco

Ajax’s young goalkeeper Aymean El Hani has officially chosen to represent Morocco at international level, turning down the Netherlands, where he was born and developed through the youth system.

The 18-year-old, who has been a regular for the Netherlands at youth level, informed officials of his decision to join Morocco’s under-20 national team — the same side that recently lifted the U20 World Cup with a 2-0 win over Argentina on October 19, according to bladi.net.

El Hani, born in the Netherlands to Moroccan parents, had long been the subject of interest from both football federations.

His decision marks another major coup for the Moroccan Football Federation, which continues to attract dual nationals eager to represent the Atlas Lions on the global stage.

Reports from marokko.nl suggest that El Hani will succeed Yanis Benchaouch as Morocco’s U20 first-choice goalkeeper.

Benchaouch is expected to be promoted to the under-23 team ahead of next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in that category.

Highly regarded within Ajax’s academy, El Hani has been one of the standout performers in the UEFA Youth League, impressing with his composure, reflexes, and leadership in goal.

His recent performances earned him his first professional contract with Ajax just weeks ago, solidifying his reputation as one of the Netherlands’ brightest young goalkeeping talents.

Having represented the Dutch national youth teams from U15 to U19, earning a total of 15 caps, El Hani’s decision was reportedly not made lightly.

🇲🇦🧤 Ajax goalkeeper Aymean El Hani has made the switch from the Netherlands to Morocco! He’ll join the Morocco U20 squad as they prepare for the Africa Cup and (possibly) the U20 World Cup in 2027! 🌍⚽✨ #Ajax #TeamMorocco #FutureStar pic.twitter.com/wDoB0zLGtY

— 11LIONS.NL🦁 (@11LionsNL) November 8, 2025

Sources close to the player revealed that he resisted pressure from coaches of Moroccan heritage within the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) who encouraged him to remain with the Netherlands setup.

“Choosing Morocco shows how deeply connected Aymean feels to his roots,” one source told bladi.net, highlighting the player’s determination to embrace his family’s heritage despite the competition for places in Morocco’s rapidly improving national setup.

While El Hani’s focus is now on joining the Moroccan U20 side, the long-term implications are significant.

Should he eventually decide to represent Morocco at senior level, he would follow in the footsteps of other Dutch-Moroccan talents such as Mohamed Ihattaren and Anass Salah-Eddine — both recently named in Walid Regragui’s provisional squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, set to take place on home soil between 21 December 2025 and 18 January 2026.