Morocco name six fresh faces for 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Morocco have included six new or returning players in Mohamed Ouahbi’s squad for the start of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, with 17-year-old Abdellah Ouazane receiving his first senior call-up.

The Ajax Amsterdam attacking midfielder has been rewarded for his progress in 2025, having made a significant step forward at club level. Ouazane has scored one goal and provided three assists in 11 matches for the Dutch side.

Morocco begin their qualifying campaign at home to Gabon on 25 September at the Complexe Sportif Moulay Abdellah in Rabat. They then travel to the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein to face Lesotho on 29 September, before playing Ghana in a friendly at the Grand Stade de Tanger on 4 October.

Ouahbi’s squad has been reshaped in part by injuries to Chadi Riad, Youssef Belammari and Ayoub El Kaabi, who are all unavailable.

Alaa Bellarouch, 24, has been added to the goalkeeping department. The Morocco international now plays for Dinamo Bucarest, having previously represented Strasbourg and Braga.

There is also a return for right-back Ali Maamar, 21, who was involved in the preparation for the 2026 World Cup. He has steadily established himself at Anderlecht since making his professional debut.

In midfield, Soufiane El Faouzi has been called up. The 24-year-old, who is eligible to represent more than one country, plays for Schalke 04 and has featured in three Bundesliga matches since the start of the season.

The attack includes two further additions. Yassir Zabiri, 21, earned his first senior selection after scoring his sixth La Liga goal of the season for Santander against Barca on Wednesday. The forward is a U20 world champion.

Tawfik Bentayeb, 24, completes the new attacking contingent. He enjoyed a productive campaign with Troyes, scoring 20 goals in 31 matches and finishing as the leading scorer in the French Ligue 2, before moving to Anderlecht during the summer.

Younes Ebnoutalib’s absence indicates that he has chosen to represent Germany, ending the possibility of him joining the Lions of the Atlas.

Compared with the squad selected for the World Cup, Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal returns in place of the injured Chadi Riad. Chemsdine Talbi, Amine Sbai and Ayoube Amaimouni are no longer included, while Sofyan Amrabat is absent after saying he will step away from the national team while Ouahbi remains in charge.

Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari will still be part of the squad despite being suspended for the opening match following incidents during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final. Hakimi has recently suffered an injury with PSG, while Saibari joined Bayern Munich. Ayyoub Bouaddi, who has made a promising start at Manchester City, is also included.