Morocco name experienced core and young players for 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has announced his squad for the opening matches of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The selection was confirmed on Thursday 17 September at a news conference held at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Sale.

Morocco will begin their qualification schedule against Gabon at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on Friday 25 September. They will then travel to Bloemfontein, South Africa, to face Lesotho on 29 September.

The squad will also play a friendly against Ghana in Tangier as part of their preparations for the forthcoming fixtures.

Ouahbi has retained the core of the Morocco side while also including several younger players hoping to establish themselves within the national team.

Morocco squad

Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou, Munir Mohamedi, Reda Tagnaouti, Alaa Belarouch.

Defenders: Issa Diop, Nayef Aguerd, Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, Anas Salaheddine, Noussair Mazraoui, Ali Maamar, Marouane Saadane, Redouane Halhal, Achraf Hakimi, Zakaria El Ouahidi.

Midfielders: Ayoub Bouadi, Samir Mourabit, Nael El Aynaoui, Oussama Terghaline, Bilal El Khannous, Soufiane El Faouzi, Ezzedine Ounahi, Ismail Essibari.

Forwards: Abdel Samad Zalzouli, Abdullah Wazzan, Brahim Diaz, Yassine Jassim, Yasser Zabiri, Soufiane Rahimi, Tawfiq Ben Tayeb.

The matches against Gabon and Lesotho form the first two rounds of the African qualifying process for the final tournament of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Ghana fixture, which will be played in Tangier, will give the squad an additional opportunity to prepare ahead of the competitive matches and the wider programme of forthcoming international competitions.