Hakimi, Amrabat among nine Morocco absentees for AFCON qualifiers

Morocco will begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with several important players unavailable, with as many as nine members of the squad set to miss the opening matches against Gabon and Lesotho.

The Atlas Lions are scheduled to face Gabon on September 25 before travelling to South Africa to take on Lesotho four days later. The absences are due to a combination of injuries, suspensions, fitness concerns and the ongoing situation involving Sofyan Amrabat and head coach Mohamed Wahbi.

Hakimi among Morocco’s major absentees

Achraf Hakimi is set to be the biggest name missing from the squad for the two qualifiers and will not feature in the official selection for the matches.

Ismail Al-Sibari will also miss the meeting with Gabon after being handed a suspension by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Committee following incidents surrounding the Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal.

The setbacks come at a difficult time for Wahbi, who had hoped to make a strong start to Morocco’s qualifying campaign.

Injuries hit Morocco squad

Morocco will also be without Nayef Aguerd and Abdel Samad Zalzouli, who are yet to reach the required level of fitness.

Injuries have further weakened the squad, with Youssef Belamri, Chadi Riad, Ayoub El Kaabi and Marouane Saadane all ruled out after picking up problems at the start of the current season.

The number of unavailable players is expected to force Wahbi to make significant changes to his plans, particularly in defence and attack.

Amrabat situation adds to Wahbi’s problems

The Morocco coach’s preparations have been further complicated by Sofyan Amrabat’s decision to make his position public.

The experienced midfielder stated in a social media post that he would not represent the national team while Mohamed Wahbi remains in charge.

Amrabat’s stance currently rules him out of consideration and deprives Morocco of one of their most experienced players at international level.

Wahbi to announce final squad on September 17

Wahbi is expected to announce his final squad for the qualifiers on September 17, with the coach facing difficult decisions as he attempts to compensate for the numerous absences.

The unavailable players leave Morocco needing to reshuffle their options across defence, midfield and attack ahead of their opening qualifier.

Morocco will host Gabon on September 25 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, with kick-off scheduled for 19:00 GMT.

Four days later, the Atlas Lions will travel to Bloemfontein, South Africa, to face Lesotho at Toyota Stadium, with the match scheduled to begin at 13:00.