Morocco set to omit six 2026 World Cup players as Mohamed Ouahbi considers four new call-ups

At least six players who featured for Morocco at the 2026 World Cup are expected to miss Mohamed Ouahbi’s next squad, with four uncapped players in line for selection.

The Morocco manager’s list is due to be announced on 17 September, according to Atlas | Comps, although the final squad has not yet been confirmed. The report, published by Assabah, says Ouahbi has provisionally left out a minimum of six members of the World Cup squad.

Three of the expected absentees are unavailable because of serious injuries. Crystal Palace defender Chadi Riad and Al Ahly’s Youssef Belammari have both undergone surgery after suffering anterior cruciate ligament injuries, while Olympiakos forward Ayoub El Kaabi is recovering from a fractured tibia.

All three players are considered unlikely to return before the end of the season.

The other expected omissions are Marwan Saadane of Al-Fateh, Anass Salah-Eddine of AS Roma and Venezia defender Redouane Halhal. Their exclusion is reportedly linked to a lack of preparation rather than injury.

Ouahbi is meanwhile expected to freshen up his squad with four players who have made strong starts to the season: Younes Ebnoutalib of Eintracht Frankfurt, Yassir Zabiri of Racing Santander, Othmane Maamma of Watford and Espanyol left-back Omar El Hilali.

For Ebnoutalib and Zabiri, the proposed call-ups would represent their first senior appearances for Morocco. Both have impressed in the opening stages of the campaign, with Ebnoutalib attracting particular attention after scoring a hat-trick in front of Ouahbi on 29 August during the manager’s European tour.

Maamma has already been involved around the national team. He was selected for Morocco’s pre-World Cup fixture against Burundi in late May, a match Morocco won 5-0. The player, who was named the best player at the most recent FIFA U-20 World Cup, contributed an assist but was not included in the final squad for the tournament.

El Hilali could return after an absence of 11 months. The left-back has not been involved with Morocco’s red-and-green squad since October 2025, although he did not play during that period.

According to insider Youssef, no player has yet received an official call-up. The Moroccan federation has only sent out a provisional list, which reportedly contains 50 names.

Morocco will begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with matches against Gabon and Lesotho. The game against Gabon will take place in Rabat on 25 September, before Morocco face Lesotho in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on 29 September.