2026 World Cup | Who are France’s opponents, Morocco?

2026 World Cup | Who are France’s opponents, Morocco? France’s opponents in the Quarter-finals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup are Morocco. We look at the players that comprise their squad.  Yassine Bounou DOB: 5 April 1991 Club: Al-Hilal Position: Goalkeeper One of the main characters in Morocco’s deep run at Qatar 2022, Yassine Bounou is a fan favourite. Born in Montreal but raised in Casablanca, “Bono” loves the game and has a special affection for River Plate despite an early soft spot for their rivals. “When I was young I always followed football in South America, particularly Boca Juniors,” he said. His love for River would grow while he was at Atlético Madrid, where Diego Simeone (the former River manager) and Germán “Mono” Burgos (the former River goalkeeper) were in the dugout. Bono has even named his dog “Ariel” in an homage to River’s iconic No 10, Ariel Ortega. After nine years – and nearly 160 La Liga games – in Spain, Bounou moved to Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal in 2023.  Munir El Kajoui  DOB: 10 May 1989 Club: RS Berkane Position: Goalkeeper A national team player for over a decade, Munir is one of the veterans in the Atlas Lions squad. He’s got a unique status, as the only player born in the Spanish enclave of Melilla (northern Morocco) in the setup. As a young player still trying to find his way to professional football, Munir would work for his father after training. “I had to help, but that was a bit odd. Some of the fans who watched and cheered for me during the games were also asking me for a coffee or a meal in my father’s restaurant,” he said. After playing in Spain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Munir chose to join the Moroccan side RS Berkane in 2024 and played a key role in the club’s maiden top-flight title last year. Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti DOB: 5 March 1996 Club: AS FAR Rabat Position: Goalkeeper After being part of a World Cup squad for the second time in Qatar 2022, it seemed that Tagnaouti’s life following Morocco’s performance would be easy. But a footballer’s life goes through many ups and downs. The next season, he was shown the door by Wydad Casablanca despite being one of the heroes that delivered the 2022 Caf Champions League. Tagnaouti struggled with physical and mental health problems, going through depression, but after a relatively unnoticed stint at his hometown club Maghreb Fez, he was back on track after joining AS FAR in 2024. The club have put their faith in him despite fans’ scepticism. Tagnaouti seized his chance and was one of the central figures of the AS FAR team as they reached their first continental final in four decades. Achraf Hakimi DOB: 4 November 1998 Club: Paris Saint-Germain Position: Right-back Last year’s African footballer of the year, Hakimi is considered the best right-back in the game and perhaps the first Moroccan superstar. But off the pitch the 27-year-old confirmed in February that he would face trial after being accused of rape in 2023 He denies the allegations. “Today, a rape accusation is enough to justify a trial,” Hakimi said on social media. “This is as unjust to the innocent as it is to the genuine victims. I calmly await this trial, which will allow the truth to come out publicly.” One of the key players of PSG’s first Champions League title in 2025, Hakimi still has a close friendship with Kylian Mbappé, his former teammate now at Real Madrid. “He was the one who helped me with my French when I first got to Paris,” he said. Noussair Mazraoui DOB: 14 November 1997 Club: Manchester United Position: Full-back A devout Muslim, Mazraoui’s career has been shaped by his faith. In 2024 he asked for special permission from the Moroccan federation to make the pilgrimage to Mecca during an international break. “The link between Manchester United and the Muslim community is very important because the community is close to my belief. And if I can give them a little back, that’s something good to do,” he said in an interview with his club. After suffering his fair share of injuries, Mazraoui revealed that a change to his diet has helped him greatly. “I’m not drinking any sodas any more – fizzy drinks. It changes a lot because of the sugar, you don’t get it in your body any more. Just water makes a huge difference eventually,” he told the Athletic last year. Anass Salah-Eddine DOB: 18 January 2002 Club: Roma Position: Left-back Born and raised in the Netherlands, just like many of his teammates, Salah-Eddine played for the Oranje at youth level, up to Under-21, before switching to Morocco. At 24, the PSV defender has come into a Morocco team lacking in real quality at left-back. His battling spirit comes from when he had to fight his way into Ajax’s senior team and he always underlines the help he got from his family to come through his struggles: “I’ve always worked hard, in strong youth academies. And I’ve also overcome serious injuries. I broke my ankle, tore my ligaments. That makes you mature quickly. I learned that I had to live like a monk to reap the rewards later, and my parents helped me tremendously.” Issa Diop DOB: 9 January 1997 Club: Fulham Position: Centre-back Born in France to a Moroccan mother, Diop is the grandson of Lybasse Diop, the first Senegalese to play in Ligue 1. But Diop is most known for having a strong opinion when asked which team he would represent at international level. “No other team than France,” he replied frankly in an interview with Canal+. Naturally, when Morocco’s new head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, gave the centre-back his first call-up in March, he was asked about those comments. “He never said that he dislikes Morocco, that was fake news,” Ouahbi said. “I had a very honest and straightforward conversation with him, and it convinced him to join us.” With almost 170 games in the Premier League at West Ham and Fulham, Diop could be the missing piece in the Morocco backline. Chadi Riad DOB: 17 June 2003 Club: Crystal Palace Position: Centre-back Riad was destined for the top. After winning the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations and graduating from Barcelona’s La Masia academy, he moved to Crystal Palace after a good stint at Real Betis and a first call-up and goal for Morocco. But the defender’s young career has been riddled with injuries since he set foot in London, spending almost two years out with a knee issue. “To go from a recognised player to a nobody has been the hardest part. I was imprisoned in a gym for over a year, watching my teammates train while I had to lift weights. But thanks to my family who moved to London, it all got easier,” he told Le360Sport. Redouane Halhal DOB: 3 March 2003 Club: KV Mechelen Position: Centre-back Another Under-23 Afcon winner from 2023, Halhal has flown under the radar since. He refused to sign his first professional contract at Montpellier, where he was born and raised, with clubs across Europe already showing an interest. The shift in his career happened when he moved to Atlético Madrid where, despite playing for the B team, he experienced the intensity of Diego Simeone. “He loves football too much; he truly lives it,” Halhal says. “It is good to have a coach like him: what might be a detail to you is crucial to him. That way, you can learn from your mistakes and grow.” Having left Atlético for Mechelen in 2024, he had a convincing spell in the Dutch second tier with Helmond Sport before establishing himself back with the Belgian club and subsequently winning a place in the Morocco team. Neil El Aynaoui DOB: 2 July 2001 Club: Roma Position: Midfielder In Morocco, the name “El Aynaoui” comes with a lot of pressure. Neil is the son of the Moroccan tennis legend Younès El Aynaoui and had to make a choice between tennis and football when he was a child. Neil started playing football aged four in Barcelona – “in a country that breathes football, in a city where you live well”. His father was a great inspiration but never tried to influence his son’s choice of sport. “My parents taught me all the details about being a good professional,” Neil says. “My father never tried to force anything on me. He let me try my hand at a bit of everything. Football was my passion.” El Aynaoui had to face a very disturbing event earlier this year, when he was the victim of an armed robbery at his home in Rome. He and various members of his family, including his mother, were held at gunpoint. No one was injured. Samir El Mourabet  DOB: 6 October 2005 Club: Strasbourg Position: Defensive midfielder Thriving in a very promising Strasbourg team, El Mourabet earned his first Morocco cap in March. The 20-year-old performed well as a defensive midfielder in friendlies against Ecuador and Paraguay but his young career hasn’t been without its challenges. Born in Strasbourg, El Mourabet had to put his career on hold in 2020 when the club let him go aged 13, deeming him overweight. He then joined Lyon’s futsal team, where he was clearly better than most. After turning down a professional contract to play football in Spain, El Mourabet went back to Strasbourg, where he played his way into the Under-19 team within six months. “My son is not the kind of boy who’s going to start crying and say that everything is ruined,” his father, Tijani, said later. After establishing himself in the first team under Liam Rosenior, El Mourabet was frequently called up by the Morocco Under-20 manager, Mohamed Ouahbi, now in charge of the senior side. Sofyan Amrabat DOB: 29 August 1996 Club: Real Betis Position: Defensive midfielder Nicknamed “The Gladiator”, Amrabat has never really fulfilled a promising career. After a brilliant World Cup in Qatar, the midfielder joined Manchester United on loan from Fiorentina and, despite winning the FA Cup, they decided not to activate his buyout clause. Amrabat doesn’t think it was Erik ten Hag’s choice. “I’ve had a special relationship with Ten Hag since I was a 20-year-old at Utrecht,” he said before facing United with Fenerbahce in the Europa League. “He wanted to keep me this summer so I wish him the best but not for Thursday. I hope they lose,” he told the Daily Mirror. The 29-year-old joined Real Betis on the last day of the 2025 summer transfer window. “It was crazy. I had offers from Saudi Arabia and Sevilla, but when Betis showed interest it was clear for me that I wanted to join them,” he said. Azzedine Ounahi DOB: 19 April 2000 Club: Girona Position: Midfielder Nicknamed “The Bee” or “El Número Ocho” after Luis Enrique spoke highly of him following Morocco’s historic win against Spain in the Last 16 in Qatar, Ounahi is one of the most talented players in the Morocco squad. Yet his move to Marseille and subsequent loan to Panathinaikos did not help him showcase his quality. Last summer’s transfer to Girona was seen as a wake-up call for the midfielder. “I feel at ease here, I found my desire and my smile playing football,” he said after reviving his career in Catalonia. “I started working with a personal coach who is responsible for many things, including my diet and additional exercises. I train at the club in the morning and I practice with my coach in the evening. It helped me a lot, both physically and mentally.” His Afcon tournament last winter, with Morocco reaching the final, was cut short by injury. Ismael Saibari DOB: 28 January 2001 Club: PSV Eindhoven Position: Attacking midfielder Born in Barcelona, Saibari struggled in his early years, not taking his first steps until the age of two owing to a congenital condition. To correct the condition, he had to wear a special orthopedic device for over a year to keep his feet straight and help him walk. “It wasn’t even about becoming a footballer or anything like that,” Saibari has said. “That machine helped. It’s a device that helps babies walk straight. And yeah, luckily, it worked.” Saibari started playing football in Terrassa near Barcelona, but the economic crisis in 2008 forced his parents to seek a better life elsewhere and they chose Belgium. After playing in several academies, Ismael joined Anderlecht, only to be released. “They told me I was too fat,” he said. “I was playing well. I was in a good moment. It was an honour to play there. Then, just one day before the new season started, I got the news. It was really painful.” Saibari moved to Genk, where he scored a decisive goal in a youth game against … Anderlecht. He has since helped PSV achieve back-to-back Dutch titles. Bilal El Khannouss Club: 10 May 2004 Club: Leicester Position: Midfielder In Qatar, El Khannouss made history as the youngest Morocco player to feature in a World Cup at 18. His choice to play for the Atlas Lions came very early on and has since created a trend within dual nationality holders. “It was his own choice. Morocco didn’t want to miss the chance,” his father, Mohamed, told l’Avenir. “He went straight into the senior team. Between this and an interview with [Belgium’s Roberto] Martínez, there was no debate.” El Khannouss made the choice, but it pleased his dad. “His grandparents would have wanted it. My father died two decades ago and he was crazy about football,” Mohamed said. The midfielder, who joined Leicester from Genk in 2024 and spent the 2025-26 campaign on loan at Stuttgart, has been an inspiration to many Belgian-Moroccan players, but he denies being a role model. “Whether it’s Morocco, Senegal, Algeria or Côte d’Ivoire, I think Africa has got a lot of talent,” he said. “If we choose our African countries, Africa could become very big.” Ayyoub Bouaddi DOB: 2 October 2007 Club: Lille Position: Midfielder One of the most sought-after talents in Ligue 1, Bouaddi made his senior debut for Lille in the Conference League aged 16 years and three days, making him the youngest player in the history of Uefa’s club competitions. Not only does the midfielder possess a composure beyond his years, but he is also a very astute student. In June 2023 he won the French football academies’ eloquence competition held at Paris’s Elysée Palace in front of the first lady, Brigitte Macron. He went on to obtain his high school diploma and is now studying for a degree in maths and physics. According to Bruno Génésio, his Lille coach, Bouaddi “must be protected from what surrounds him, in order to bring him to the highest level. He’s got such big potential. It is rare to come across players of his age with the qualities that he has.” After the teenager represented his native France from Under-16 to Under-21 level, Morocco won the battle for his international allegiance. Brahim Díaz DOB: 3 August 1999 Club: Real Madrid Position: Attacking midfielder The protagonist of January’s controversial Afcon final, winning the dubious late penalty that caused Senegal’s players to leave the pitch in protest and then failing miserably with his Panenka once they had returned. The next day Díaz expressed remorse, stating that his “soul ached” and took full responsibility for the defeat that was eventually overturned by Caf, pending Senegal’s appeal. The penalty miss came after a sensational first tournament for Díaz, who admitted the moment will be hard to overcome and vowed to keep fighting “not for me, but for everyone who believed in me”. The decision of Díaz, playing week in week out for Real Madrid, to switch to Morocco from Spain in 2024 was a significant breakthrough. Born in Malaga to a Moroccan father, Díaz never shies away when he’s asked about his allegiance. “I am 100% Moroccan and 100% Spanish. I love both countries,” he told Cadena Ser in 2024. Gessime Yassine DOB: 22 November 2005 Club: Strasbourg Position: Attacking midfielder “His moves remind me of Hatem Ben Arfa,” said the former Senegal striker Demba Ba after he recommended Yassine to the French team USL Dunkerque while he was their sporting director. The natural-born dribbler from southern France switched his allegiance in 2024 and played in the Under-20 World Cup last October, which Morocco won. “He’s always had a ball with him,” his mother told Le360. “As a kid, he never played with cars or other toys. When he was little he’d open the fridge and throw some eggs and try to juggle them.” After the skinny teenager struggled at club trials, he landed that move to Dunkurque in Ligue 2. Gary O’Neil has given him opportunities since he joined Strasbourg in January and he earned his first senior cap for Morocco in March. Chemsdine Talbi DOB: 9 May 2005 Club: Sunderland Position: Winger Born in Belgium to a Moroccan father and Belgian mother, Talbi’s talent shone through in Club Brugge’s 2024-2025 Champions League campaign. It was hard to imagine that a few months before, he wasn’t even considered a starter. Talbi had missed a large part of the previous season with a knee injury but resilience was part of his young career. “He’s always been smaller than the others,” says his former coach Dwight Waeytens. “He was explosive and always managed to go past his opponents, but he needed to work on his physicality. He hasn’t always done it with a big smile on his face, but he still did it.” Talbi’s father was on hand to help, even if it meant going from Brussels to Bruges when his son’s fridge needed a restock. The winger’s first season in the Premier League has yielded big goals against Liverpool and Chelsea. Ayoub El Kaabi DOB: 25 June 1993 Club: Olympiakos Position: Striker The veteran striker is ready to give the World Cup another go. El Kaabi went to Russia in 2018, starting the opening 1-0 loss to Iran but not again. He wasn’t called up for the 2022 edition but he kept going, just like he always has. El Kaabi was trying to make a living as a carpenter when he was first scouted by Racing Casablanca. After winning the Golden Boot in Morocco’s second tier and in the African Nations Championship, he left to play abroad at Hebei in China. He was playing for Hatayspor in Turkey when the city of Antakya was devastated by the 2023 earthquake that killed his teammate Christian Atsu. At Olympiakos, El Kaabi is a legend for scoring vital goals in their run to Conference League glory in 2024, including an extra-time winner against Fiorentina in the final. “What I like about him is that he shows you that he is calm,” said the Olympiakos sporting director, Darko Kovacevic. El Kaabi is most famous for his ability to pull off a bicycle kick – two of his three goals at last winter’s Afcon came in that fashion, earning him the nickname “Bicycle man”. Soufiane Rahimi DOB: 2 June 1996 Club: Al Ain Position: Striker In Morocco, people refer to a player that has spent most of their career at one club as “Weld L’ferqa” (the team’s child). Rahimi was, in fact, born in Raja Casablanca’s training ground, meaning he literally is the “Weld L’ferqa”. His father, Mohamed, was Raja’s kit manager for decades and the club offered him a tiny house at the training ground to live with his family. But Rahimi didn’t benefit from his father’s connections at the club and was let go as a youngster. After a stint at neighbouring club l’Étoile, Rahimi was reintegrated at Raja. His performances made him a fan favorite and Al Ain seized the chance to recruit him. Rahimi, who is a skilful dribbler, helped the Emirati club win the 2024 AFC Champions League and qualify for the 2025 Club World Cup. His younger brother Houssine joined him at Al Ain last summer. Known for decades as “Youari”, Rahimi’s father is always grateful for his son’s endeavours. “My name became ‘Rahimi’ because of Soufiane,” he told FIFA+.  This is a piece from Amine El Amri for SKWAD by 2M TV   as part of the Guardian Sports Network GFFN  | Luke Entwistle