Morocco has received FIFA approval to recruit Fulham defender Issa Diop and Ajax midfielder Rayane Bounida, among seven players acquired this month by the 2022 World Cup semifinalists ahead of the upcoming edition in North America, bringing their total to 16 since March of last year.
The 29-year-old Diop previously played for the French youth and U21 national teams, while Bounida is one of six players under 20 changing their national allegiance this month after having represented youth teams for Belgium or the Netherlands.
All these players have familial connections to Morocco, enabling them to change their national eligibility according to FIFA regulations, provided they haven’t participated in any senior competitive matches for their initial country of representation.
Diop and Bounida have been included in the squad of new coach Mohamed Ouahbi for World Cup warmup matches against Ecuador on Friday in Madrid and Paraguay on Tuesday in Lens, France.
For the 2026 World Cup, Morocco will compete in a group alongside Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti, with matches scheduled in proximity to New York, Boston, and Atlanta.
Morocco will automatically qualify for the 2030 tournament as a co-host alongside Spain and Portugal, with additional matches taking place in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Under the leadership of Fouzi Lekjaa, who is becoming an increasingly significant figure in soccer politics, the Moroccan federation is actively pursuing players from the European diaspora.
The squad that made history at the Qatar World Cup as the first African semifinalists included prominent players such as Hakim Ziyech and Sofyan Amrabat, both of whom had previously played for the Netherlands youth teams.
This month, FIFA approved eligibility changes for players including Bounida and Genk midfielder Saif Eddien Lazar, who had represented Belgium.
Others switching to Morocco from the Netherlands include Benjamin Khaderi and Sami Bouhoudane, both 18 and from PSV Eindhoven, along with 20-year-old Utrecht defender Oualid Agougil and 18-year-old Ayoud Ouarghi from Feyenoord.
Furthermore, FIFA also authorized nine other players to change their eligibility from last March to December last year, hailing from France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway.